


Play with Fire

by DigitalSpectre



Series: From the Ashes [1]
Category: overwatch
Genre: Apology for the Pun, Other, Slow Burn, gender neutral reader
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-25
Updated: 2018-11-07
Packaged: 2019-03-08 18:55:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 33
Words: 58,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13464450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DigitalSpectre/pseuds/DigitalSpectre
Summary: You spent most of your life in and out of juvenile detention for arson. Eventually they just put you directly into the regular system. Which wasn’t fair, because you didn’t start any fires. Not intentionally. They just, happened. Usually when you were mad but. Sometimes just, whenever. You made fire.When you accidentally set an Overwatch building on fire you fully expect to go back to prison. Again. But luckily for you, Gabriel Reyes is passing through the interrogation area and observes a paper cup spontaneously catch on fire in front of you. For once, someone believes that you’re telling the truth. You get a job, you get help, and just when you think things might be okay you get feelings. Why the hell is this man so hot, you’re the one slinging fire around.





	1. Sparks

Being arrested for arson isn’t fun. Being arrested for arson multiple times isn’t fun. Being arrested for arson by fucking Overwatch because you set one of their buildings on fire

Is

Not

Fun.

It’s not your fault. Honestly. It’s not. Cops just don’t fucking believe you. They didn’t now, they didn’t before, they never will. When you were angry fire just happened. Also, when you were sad. And happy. And generally existing. Fire just happened around you whether you liked it or not and you really didn’t like it. You didn’t ask for this to keep happening. You didn’t sign up for the latest social media app blaze or pyre or whatever the fuck. It just, it just kept happening.

Now you’re in an interrogation room. Alone. Upset and afraid.

And there’s fire.

It’s not a big fire. There’s nothing in this room but the paper cup they used to give you some water. Once it was empty the fire just showed right on up. It was ready for its reservation, sitting there on the table. Burning the cup. You’re waiting patiently to get beat up and searched for a lighter. Again. Because that’s just what happens to you. No one believes you can do this. No one believes you.

A tall man walks in, dressed head to toe in black. He looks between the fire on the table and your sour expression like he wants to laugh. You would appreciate it if he didn’t. It’s not that he isn’t hot, in the traditional people sense not the you-are-on-fire sense. Tall, muscular, with one hell of a nice goatee. Good eyes too. Good everything really. And of course, the cup-fire flickers and grows. Thanks for the subtlety, cup fire. Fuck you.

The man shrugged and pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket. He smothered the fire, just like that. Like it wasn’t something to worry about. Not terrifying at all. He acted like it was something he saw daily. Which was, pretty fucking hot. And then you had to put literally all of your concentration into not setting anything else on fire. You didn’t need that right now.

“My name is Gabriel Reyes. I’m not assigned to your case, but I was passing by the interrogation window and saw you pout a cup into catching on fire.” Even his fucking voice was hot, you didn’t ask for that.

“I didn’t, pout it on fire it just…”

“You pouted it on fire. Listen, we’ve got a minute tops before your actual interrogator gets in here. You want out of this? You want to avoid prison? I could make use of that talent. And I have someone on staff that can help you understand it. Control it. But you have to agree to work for me, right now.” This guy went all business real fast. You stared at him in shock for way too long and noticed the doorknob turning. You nodded. You didn’t want any more prison time. And this was a job, which was something you hadn’t managed before.

“Deal.”

A new man walked in, blonde with blue eyes. Like someone 3-D printed a superhero comic. The fuck was this shit. He immediately eyed your new boss and squinted. 

“Reyes, what are you doing in… Why is it so hot in here?” 

“Sorry, sorry. It’s because I’m in here.” You apologize. You were a portable room heater upset or not. When you weren’t accidentally setting shit on fire you were the world’s worst easy bake oven. Reyes began to chuckle and you immediately shook your head.

“Wait no I mean, I. I make fire it’s. Stop laughing it’s not, that’s not what I meant. I mean the heat. It’s not funny.” You frown.

Reyes kept smiling. “No, no. It’s fine. We understand. You’re pretty-”

“Please don’t.”

“Hot.”

“Motherfucker.” You are suffering. He looks so damn pleased with himself. The other man looks confused, and then suspicious, and then annoyed.

“Please tell me you didn’t just hire an arsonist.” He grumbled.

“Check the tapes Morrison. It wasn’t on purpose. This ash? Was a cup. That just lit itself on fire. That’s an asset, not arson. And yes, yes I did. Now if you excuse me, I’m taking my shiny new agent to get a medical evaluation. Be jealous that I got here first.” Reyes grinned as he undid your handcuffs. The gloves were barely enough to protect him from the heat. That metal was probably at least scalding, if not hotter. Either way, it meant damage. He leads you out of the office like a prize while Morrison glowers at your retreating backs. What’s left of the cup catches on fire again and you groan in embarrassment.

“Don’t worry about it hot stuff. My doctor will help you find a way to control that. Although I should give you a fire extinguisher to carry around.” Reyes found this funnier than you did. Despite his efforts to remain calm you could see the smile pushing back at the corners of his lips. The light in his eyes didn’t help. You were annoyed. You liked him, sure. But you were still pretty damn annoyed.

“Whatever you say, Boss.”

Reyes let himself grin. He lead you through a maze of corridors until you reached a pair of thick, high-security doors barred by a keypad. He tapped in a code and lead you through. Everything got austere, the Overwatch logos on the door signs and walls were replaced by a similar logo that you didn’t recognize. It was a much smaller area, narrower. A bit claustrophobic. The heat was rising in your skin. Reyes reached over and gave your shoulder a pat.

“My office is this way.” 

Commander Gabriel Reyes was written on an elegant black plaque next to the door. The office is spacious, with the first window you’ve seen since passing through the keypad locked doors. There’s more decoration too. Overstuffed bookshelves. Pictures of what you assumed were friends, including one of Reyes, Morrison and some woman, were hanging on the wall. Plants were everywhere, and you were pretty sure they weren’t fake. It was nice, comfortable.

“Sit down. Do you have any military training?” Reyes asked as he sat behind the desk, bringing up something on his computer.

“I didn’t even finish high school.” You admit. The chairs are comfortable. Soft. Hopefully not flammable. You didn’t want to set your new boss’s office on fire the first day you got working for him. You wrung your hands and kept an eye on everything. Waiting for the first signs of smoke. 

Reyes snapped his fingers to get your attention. “Don’t worry if you lose control. It’s clear how little you have. We’ll work on it. Relax. Now, let me give you a scenario. There’s a man. He’s been selling secrets that get people killed. But he’s protected. Either he covers his tracks too well for official channels to arrest him or he has friends in high places. Can’t arrest him. Can’t take him down. But the longer he walks, the more people die. This guy doesn’t care who dies to line his pockets. But he needs to go down. If you had the training, if you had a sniper rifle. Could you take the shot?”

You weren’t expecting this. For someone from Overwatch of all places to ask you to your face if you would be willing to assassinate someone. But you didn’t want to go to prison. And honestly? If someone was a bad person, if killing them would help… then…

“Yeah. I guess I would.”

“Good. Now this man, he lives in a high security, secluded building. There’s no getting in. There’s trees covering his windows. A sniper shot would be improbable. Trying would get him to hunker down, make it even harder. But a wildfire coming up, taking him down? That would be a lot easier, and a lot harder for someone to track. With training. Could you do that?” Reyes leaned forward, watching your face, searching your reaction. You nodded, this time without hesitation.

“Yes.”

“Good. Good. Fill this out for me.” Reyes pushed across his desk and a form manifested in front of you. So the whole thing was a screen. Fancy. You filled out the paperwork, watching him pull it back.

“Perfect.” Reyes held out his hand. “Welcome to Blackwatch, Arson.”

“I swear to fucking God you’re not going to nickname me Arson.” 

“Nickname? No, no. That’s your codename. It’s on all the official documents. All missions will be assigned to Agent Arson.” Reyes was grinning again. You hated this man. So much. You sigh and shake his hand.

“Boss, you suck.”

He just laughed again. Fun.


	2. Too Early to Call it Home

Being a weirdo who can spontaneously light things on fire tends to ruin home life. In that, you were generally homeless. Your powers manifested young, barely before you hit your teens, and you were immediately labeled a problem child. Obsessed with fire. A troublemaker. You were in juvenile hall and then foster homes before you could blink. And the foster homes never lasted very long, given the whole fire thing. You were one more accident away from life in prison. So you took off. It was easier to be homeless than it was to live with people who eyed you the same way they eyed a rabid dog. You learned how to take care of yourself and never stay in one place for very long. 

The fire followed you. You couldn’t even try to settle down, to get your life together. Once you tried something would happen and it would all go up in literal flames. After a while, you just gave up. You slept surrounded by concrete or metal, avoiding plants or anything easily flammable. People forgave scorched concrete easier than they forgave a burning park.

You had a place now, it seemed. It was a small room with an even smaller bathroom. But it was still a place to stay. The water actually worked. Hot and cold. That’s some fancy shit. The bedding was soft, and you had a computer desk of your own. Actual internet access right in your room. You’d never owned anything bigger than a smartphone and you hadn’t had one of those in months. It was nice. You would get suspicious if you weren’t literally there for your...ability. You can’t burn your way out of this. For once, even just for a little bit, you’re secure.

There’s a knock on your door, but it’s open before you get up from your desk. Reyes walked in, a large box in his arms. “Morning. Brought you your training uniforms. You’ll get something more specialized later, once we know more about you.”

There were dozens of identical shirts, tanks, shorts and pants. All of them black, all of them bearing the Blackwatch logo somewhere on the fabric. Plus, it was all brand new. You literally couldn’t remember the last time you had something brand new. And now you had a whole box. This was just getting better and better.

“Thanks Boss. Didn’t think the Commander would have to bring a trainee clothes.” You held a tank top up to yourself. 

“You’re a special case. Besides, Blackwatch is pretty tight-knit. Not sure anybody necessarily likes anyone else, but still. You’ll meet the other members soon enough. Get dressed, I’ll be back in an hour to take you to meet Dr. O’Deorain.” Reyes smiled and then slipped out the door. Special case probably meant ‘you might set fire to someone’. Which was fair. You might. Although that is your job now. So. Hm.

It feels like the first time in ages that you’ve ever been clean and wearing clean clothes. You don’t even care if you see the old stuff ever again. This is a lot softer and more comfortable than the dirt crusted nonsense. It is a lot of black though. Maybe, you could go out and get something after a few paychecks. A necklace, or scarf or something.

Pft a scarf. That would honestly be the funniest thing to buy. If it caught on fire it would be hilarious. You need one. A red one, clearly.

You really wanted to explore. Find out where the food was. Where the other agents were. Where anything was, really. But you already had to pat out a small smoldering corner of the box your clothes were brought in. Hopefully they would be much safer in the closet. You really needed a fire extinguisher. Just to have with you at all times. As if he read your thoughts, Reyes reappeared at your door. 

“Time to go. Here, a present.” He handed you a small, handheld fire extinguisher. Not enough to stop a big fire, but if you lit your socks on fire you could handle it. Hopefully. 

“Thanks.” You nervously held it. You expected a quiet walk, but Reyes was surprisingly talkative.

“So, what’s the worst thing you’ve ever burned down?”

“I-Really?” You gaped at him. Not something you would think of someone asking. Also, wouldn’t that be in your records?

“Really.” He shrugged and looked at you.

“...Started a big fire in the maternity wing at a hospital.”

“How?” He turned into a side corridor. 

“Dunno. Got too excited I guess? Upset too. Foster mother was having her first kid. All of us fosters knew we were back into the system soon as it was old enough to hold up its head.” You shrugged. It wasn’t a bad household either. She was just the type of woman who always wanted her own kid. You all knew the dance by that point.

“Hm. What was the best thing you burned down?” Reyes asked.

“Burnt down a fraternity house once. They had been hassling the nearby homeless camp so I paid them a visit. Got myself worked up and the whole thing went up in flames. Barely made it out.” You weren’t the best of people. You barely qualified as ‘morally okay’. When you looked at Gabriel he was smiling.

“Good, give ‘em hell.” He winked. “Hm. Probably should’ve given you the code name Hellfire.”

“You could change it.” You suggested hope in your voice.

“Nope, can’t do. It’s in all the paperwork now. You’re going to be Arson forever.” He chuckled. Well, at least one of you found this to be funny. Reyes smiled and clapped a hand on your shoulder. He squeezed, gentle and reassuring, and held open a pair of double doors for you.

“This is Dr. Moira O’Deorain. She’s an expert in genetics, particularly genetic manipulation. If anyone can help you get control of your power, it’s her.” Reyes introduced you to a tall, pale woman. There was something so imposing about her and the way she carried herself. At first she had an expression of cold indifference but as Reyes spoke interest lit in her eyes. She smiled at you, almost flowing towards you.

“Well Hello Agent Arson. Please, call me Moira. We’re going to be working quite closely together.” She offered you a hand. Her nails were so, so long. How did she even care for those. That was frightening in and of itself. But you smiled back and shook her hand. If she could help you then you liked her.

“Thank you, Moira.” You smiled. She smiled in turn. Cool, but still. You were in no place to judge. Maybe you just ran hot is all. 

“Let’s begin immediately, I’ve prepared everything for you. Thank you, Commander, I’ll keep you alerted to our progress.” Moira guided you to an examination chair, sitting you down and stepping up to a computer. Reyes gave you one last, friendly wave before he disappeared. 

“We’ll start with a routine blood draw. Let’s see what your blood tells us, shall we?” Moira carried a tray of equipment to your side, patting your hand before she began to clean it.

Eh, fuck it. You liked her. Why not? She was gentle with you and didn’t seem at all phased when some of her papers lit on fire halfway through. You were, a bit nervous about needles. She whipped out a fire extinguisher and then immediately resumed the draws. Like it was nothing. Like she’d seen hundreds of people who could spontaneously make fire. It made you wonder. Either Blackwatch had a lot of very calm, collected people. Or there was some weird shit going on.

Maybe both.

“Done. Your skin is hot to the touch, does your temperature fluctuate often?” Moira collected her little pile of blood-filled vials. That was actually, pretty nauseating to see. You felt a little dizzy and lightheaded. You just needed to eat something, probably. Never asked Reyes were to go for food though. Damn.

“Yeah, and once I get warm it’s hard to cool back down.” You reply, letting yourself lay back. It didn’t stop your head from spinning unfortunately. 

“Hm. I’ll have to figure out a way to track your temperature. You’re a treasure trove of data.” Moira wasn’t really talking to you. But she certainly seemed excited. Like a kid in a candy store. Your eyes flickered to her nails. Or a cat with a toy. Were you a treasure trove of data? You suppose so. How many people could just make fire happen. What was wrong with you?

You felt your eyelids getting heavy. How much blood did she take anyway? Oh well. She could probably do whatever tests she needed to when you were asleep. No need to… fight it.


	3. No One Likes Running

“Today, we’ll go for a jog.” Moira announced with an extremely confusing mixture of distance and enthusiasm. You were not friends, and yet, you were someone with exciting genetics and she was about to have you spend the next four hours jogging with electrodes attached to you. Something might even catch on fire! She’s excited for it. She takes so many photos of every fire. Like you’re a cat and you keep getting into the yarn. The internet’s going to love your accidental flaming shirt clip if it ever comes out.

The room is colder than usual. She must have her ideas about what’s about to happen. Not that the room is ever warm. It takes you a good hour to get it to a comfortable temperature when you come in. You’re not sure if the equipment needs to be cold, or maybe Moira’s being considerate of your needs, or she’s secretly able to channel the cold into her own powers. And now it’s even colder and you’re in shorts and a tank top and your skin is already heating up in response and now you’re running.

You hate running. Even if you didn’t have abilities you would still hate running. It was sweaty. It was exhausting. Your thighs were burning. You were running out of breath almost all the time. Gasping like a fish. And you were going to be here, for hours. Hours. With your doctor sitting off to the side, taking notes with unblinking eyes. You’re not even sure if she ever blinked. Did she even need to? Was that the first thing she worked on when she started her whole journey into genetics. Moira just sat down and fiddled with her eyelids until she no longer needed to blink. You know. Like reasonable people did.

You don’t actually know if she did that. But if you’re going to spend hours of your life running in place you’re going to make up stories. It’s not like you had plans to spread them as quickly as possible through the zero employees that made up Blackwatch.

Sure, you were kept under maximum security in a fireproof room that you knew was set far apart from everyone else, and your exposure to others was kept minimized to keep you from setting people on fire by accident. But you would think you’d hear something. Or see a glimpse of someone in the halls. All you saw were Reyes and Moira, and you hadn’t seen Reyes in a week.

“Interesting, your body is reaching dangerously high temperatures,” Moira remarked casually after three hours of the worst activity you’d ever experienced. “I’m slowing you down to see if you sustain the heat.”

“Is it dangerous?” You ask, relieved when you’re dropped down into a fast jog. It still sucked. You still hated it. But you also hated the idea of boiling yourself to death. Although if you were dead you wouldn’t have to run anymore. No, no, you had come too far to run yourself to death now. Time to be careful.

“That depends on whether or not you sustain the heat. When this test is complete you’ll rest, after which we’ll begin the experiment again, this time while attempting to light this plant on fire.” Moira pointed to a tiny succulent on her desk. You sighed. No matter how many times you told her that you couldn’t do it on command, she kept pushing. Which was her job you guessed. If you couldn’t learn to set stuff on fire then what use were you to Blackwatch.

“What does this tell you?” You asked, desperately wishing for water.

“Your body can survive heat levels much higher than the average human being. However, you still have your limits. I need to know whether or not generating fire removes heat from your system, or creates more.” Moira mused. “Ultimately we’re barely in a stage for learning and understanding. Anything else must wait.”

You wonder if she means that controlling your ability must wait, or if she has ideas. Moira strikes you as the type of woman to have ideas. You’re not sure if you’re excited, unsettled, or just exhausted. Did she really say you had to do this again?

“Moira, how’s Arson doing?” Reyes strolled into the lab, fire extinguisher in one hand and tablet in the other. He smiled at you, a playful teasing smile that was now what you considered his aggravating default.

“I will kill you, Sir.” You pant.

“You know it’s funny Agent.” He shrugged, sitting on a spare chair to watch you run.

“For someone with sub-par nutritional history, we’re getting good physical results. With the right training, there could be some success in the field. Of course, we haven’t achieved intentional fire yet.” Moira reported. 

“Then I’ll start to schedule combat training. It’ll have to be one on one unless we get a volunteer.” Reyes looked at your vitals screen and frowned. “Is that current temperature readings?”

“Yes, it’s not hot enough to cause damage in this particular case. Slow down, Agent.” Moira adjusted your treadmill and continued talking. “I don’t know how high Agent Arson can reach before they begin to suffer consequences, but I strongly suggest including a cooling system in the field uniform.”

“Thank you, though it’ll be a while before I put Arson in the field.” Reyes eyed you, his normal smile replaced with something far more serious. You would be lying if you said that you weren’t relieved at that. As much as you wanted to prove your worth you were also terrified of the risks. You were, technically, now in the military. In the covert ops division. Which meant you were probably going to be going into some intensely dangerous situations. You would be grateful for as much time between you and your job as you could get.

Moira slowed your treadmill down to a blissful stop. You stood awkwardly still, watching nervously as she and Reyes stared at your vitals. You felt so damn hot. You needed a cold shower. And some ice water. Actually, a shower in ice water. With a fan blowing into the shower. You sigh as, unsurprisingly, a small fire blooms on some of Moira’s paperwork. She emotionlessly sprayed a fire extinguisher at it. 

Reyes was immediately up, putting a towel under cool water and draping the wet cloth over your shoulders. He handed you a bottle of iced water that you didn’t waste any time in pouring down your throat. It was so good. So cold. Reyes moved between your vitals screen and re-wetting your towel. Apparently, he didn’t like whatever he saw.

“That did reduce internal temperature a bit. I noticed a slight rise with the fire, but I’ll need to run a second test to confirm whether or not use of power increases temperature. We’ll begin in an hour, please go take a cold shower. As cold as you can stand.” Moira removed the sensors from you before motioning you out.

“Actually, this is it for today. You can do the second half of the text tomorrow. Arson, with me.” Reyes ordered, leading you out of the lab and back towards the dorms. “Keep an eye on your limits. Moira can be, enthusiastic. There’s no one better, but let’s keep an eye on your safety. Alright?”

“Can do boss.” You nod. It might be hard convincing her though, but you would try.

“You can call me Reyes. Or Gabriel, if you want to make it weird.” Reyes grinned.

“I want to make it weird.”

He laughed. It was such a deep, warm sound. You couldn’t help but chuckle with him. Despite feeling pretty wiped out, and still a bit too warm for comfort, you felt light. Most people reacted a certain way to you once they realized you were followed by fire. But Reyes and Moira, they seemed fine. Moira you could understand, she was strange. Reyes was a bit more confusing. Maybe he had an eye for military talent. He certainly had nice eyes.

“Although, would calling you Boss also make it weird? Looks like I’ve got options.” You grin. Reyes smiled back, pausing before your dorm and removing one of his gloves. You were confused until he pressed the back of his hand to your forehead with a growing frown.

“Still too warm. Get some rest agent.” He muttered, pulling his hand back. 

You hope he doesn’t notice how flustered this makes you as you nod and practically dive into your room. You’d never had someone concerned about you in a long time. And definitely not enough to touch you. It was nice.


	4. New Faces?

“Hey. Hey you wake up. You alright?” 

Someone was poking you. It was annoying. It was really fucking annoying. Then there was the sound of panicked cursing. Sounded like someone was on fire. Whoops. Not your fault. Hopefully you weren’t fired right now.

You sat up with a groan, realizing with some degree of disgust that your clothes were literally soaked with sweat. You were lying on an examination table in Moira’s labs. Not entirely sure how you got there. The last you remember you were doing the run test again, and Moira was having you try to light a fire, the papers lit and-

You were so, fucking dizzy.

“How did I- What the hell?” A man’s voice was nearby. You reluctantly opened your eyes and propped yourself back up. There was a man, probably a bit younger than you, dressed like a goddamn cowboy. He looked bewildered at his arm, presumably what lit on fire. Why was he dressed like a cowboy. Maybe you were hallucinating. He looked at you and smiled.

“Oh, you’re awake. You ok? I can take ya to see Dr. Zeigler?”

“Zeigler?” You didn’t know that name. Or this guy. You shook your head, trying to steady yourself. You were so warm. A little nauseated too. 

“The Doctor? Actually scratch that, I’m gonna take ya anywa- woah. You’re burnin’ up.” The man attempted to touch you, yanking his hand away when he felt the heat rising off your skin. He rubbed at his hand and looked around.

“Definitely gotta get ya to Ziegler. Gotta find a blanket to wrap ya in though, sorry.”

“No, I’m fine. Moira’s my...my doctor. Just need to cool down.” You pant. Once you get your bearings you push yourself off the table, managing to stumble your way to the fridge where Moira kept the water. 

“Um… _Moira_ is your doctor?” He went quiet, watching you pour another two bottles of water down your throat. The heat was finally subsiding. Or at least, easing enough that you didn’t feel like you were swimming in your own sweat still.

“So uh. Name’s McCree. You are-?”

“Tired and Sweaty.” You grumble. Too tired and too sweaty for friendly conversations with dudes that you’ve lit on fire. Although… if he’s in Moira’s lab, he’s probably part of Blackwatch. A coworker. “Ugh. Agent Arson.”

“Oh, you’re the newbie! The one Reyes keeps chuckling about.” McCree grinned, eyes lighting with recognition. Of course Reyes kept laughing about it. Asshole.

“I’m going to fight him behind an abandoned Wendy’s.” It was the only reasonable course of action.

“Why a Wendy’s?”

“I’m not so classless as to fight someone behind an abandoned Burger King. What do you take me for.” You scowled. McCree looked taken aback for a second before laughing.

“No wonder he likes ya. So, what did ya do to get here? Smugglin’? Stealin’? Ya don’t look like the killin’ type. Though that might just be the fever.” He asked, leaning on one of Moira’s desks. She, probably wouldn’t like that. You wondered where she was. It would be nice to get some additional help cooling down. Or at least, it would be nice to be released to your room for a cold shower. Anything for the heat.

“Oh stealing, definitely. That’s why he calls me arson. The stealing. I steal so many things.” You pause to gulp down another glass of water.

“So you’re here to… set, fires? Do we need insurance money?” McCree said slowly, earning a middle finger from you and your crumpled water bottle.

“Is there a reason you’re harassing the new agent, McCree.” Reyes walked in, expression flickering to concern when he took you in. He shifted back to annoyance when he looked at McCree on his way to grab a towel from Moira’s supply cupboard.

“Kinda thought the newbie was dyin’. Not to, question y’all but, is it a good idea havin’ Moira look after someone?” McCree followed Reyes, seeming to realize why the commander was wetting a towel and copying him.

“Moira’s the best option. Anything else isn’t your business.” Reyes wrapped the first towel around your shoulders, taking the second from McCree and draping it over your head. 

You sighed, both from embarrassment and relief. You were a grown ass adult getting fussed over by your boss. In front of what was clearly a coworker. It was objectively embarrassing. At least Reyes didn’t tell McCree exactly what was going on though. You didn’t like anyone knowing about this, talent. When people knew it. It tended not to go well. Reyes and Moira, they were flukes. Abnormalities. Anomalies. Strange. But strange accepted strange and that was good enough for you.

“Hrm.” McCree frowned, glancing at you. “I guess it aint. You okay now?”

You looked from Reyes to McCree and nodded. You felt a lot less dizzy. Definitely less murky. The heat was slipping away. The whole room still felt like a toaster oven but that would go away quickly enough. Hopefully.

“O’Deorain’s in the mess hall if you have something for her, McCree.” Reyes remarked, with a small raise of his eyebrows. 

“Oh, yeah. Angela sent me to ask her to head to the medical wing; I guess she already got the memo. I’ll be relaxin’ if ya need me. You too newbie. Room 3 in the dorm hall.” McCree gave you a friendly wave and a small smile before slipping out of the lab. You relaxed, looking back at Reyes as he poked at a screen displaying your vitals. His frown lessened the longer he watched the temperature drop down.

“So that’s one of my future co-workers, hm?” You asked, rubbing your wrist.

“Jesse McCree. Got him from the same place I got you.” Reyes smiled at the monitor, finally stepping away from it. 

“I feel like you’re the bargain hunter of military recruiters. You saw a bruised apple and three lone strawberries and thought hm. I could go for a smoothie.” You mutter, pulling the now dry towel off your head. He chuckled.

“I prefer garage sales. Finding diamonds in the tupperware lids.” Reyes winked. You rolled your eyes and piled your towels beside you. Should you wait for Moira before going to shower? Probably. She would want to examine you, take record of your readings. Or she might want you to go back on the treadmill again. Especially now that you weren’t sweltering anymore.

“Are you sure you’re alright?”

“Yeah. Sir. I uh, think I might have lit something on fire, purposefully? I still think I should concentrate on not accidentally making fire but, I’m pretty sure before I passed out I lit some papers on fire? It’s a bit fuzzy.” You admitted. Fuzzy and distorted with mirage-like blurs.

“Before you _passed out_?” Reyes sighed and rubbed his forehead. “I appreciate the effort, but let’s stop before you pass out. You won’t be useful in the field if you injure yourself in the preparations.” 

You nodded. That was understandable. Though Moira was watching. Even if you did hurt yourself you were fairly sure that she could fix whatever went wrong. That was the entire point of working with her so closely. But if you could avoid getting hurt then you would. You had enough problems, a concussion was entirely unnecessary. Unless you already had one then another concussion was unnecessary. Regardless of whether or not you could work through it.

Still. You felt strange just, getting medical care all day. You wanted to do something that felt like. Work. Like earning your place. Realistically, you knew you were being honed into a more effective weapon. You can’t throw a weapon out without thorough testing. But you still felt. Static.

It made the heat rise in your skin.

“Go ahead and get some rest. You seem alright, if Moira needs you she can call for you.” Reyes said after a few moments sitting in silence. You didn’t even realize that you had been gazing blankly ahead of you while just ignoring your boss. Not the best look. At least he didn’t seem to mind.

“Thanks Boss.” You smiled, sleepily dropping off the table. You may have been out cold for who knows how long, but who could say no to a nap?


	5. Lab Break

“I am so close to some solid breakthroughs with you. Imagine what we can accomplish, Agent. Imagine what you could become. What you will become.” Moira cooed, applying sensors to your body again. You would be living in there if Moira had anything to say about it. It’s hard to say that you would necessarily mind. It’s not like you didn’t spend most of your time with her anyway. You even had breakfast with her, literally every day.

“Light this on fire.” Moira said, setting a metal basket full of paper balls in front of you. You took a deep breath and made a face.

“Can I ask a question first? Why are we starting with making fire, and not, you know. Randomly setting my environment on fire.” You motioned to the very flammable room the two of you were sitting in. And it was the least flammable room on the base. Moira had taken every precaution to keep your powers contained when she was working on you.

“In order to help you control your abilities, I need to know what starts them. How they work. It will be easier to do that if you can activate them at will.” Moira explained. She stepped behind a blast shield she’d constructed, the screens flickering to life and showing her all of your vitals. After a few empty moments she looked up at you with a look of expectation. 

You sigh and stare at the basket. Waiting. Hoping. Thinking about fire, chile peppers, the sun. Anything mildly spicy in any shape or form. Imagining the fire floating on top of the paper. Nothing. Nothing happened.

“Try remembering how you felt when you were running. I’d imagine that it’s easier to create the flames when you’re not exhausted and sweaty.” Moira remarked. “You’re perfectly capable of doing it. Doubt is inexcusable. There is no doubt. You can create the flames. So, create them.”

She...had a point. You knew you could do it. It wasn’t like you were trying this for the first time. You can create fire. You just have to… do it. On purpose. Fun. It takes you a moment to remember how it felt when you lit the papers on fire. When you’ve lit anything on fire. That sense of heat in the pit of your chest. The temperature sliding through your limbs. Reaching. The anxiety your normally felt when your body got too hot flared up. You were struggling against your own resistance. So much of you didn’t want to start a fire. Fire took too much from you. 

But it still lit. The papers in the bin caught fire, a small flame that grew the more you watched it. It only took a few minutes for the fire to devour the paper in the bin and fall apart in the ashes. When you looked up Moira’s face was slightly scrunched in concentration. She scribbled notes on her tablet, completely silent. You let yourself relax, grabbing your water and settling back to let her do her work.

That was one of the nice things about Moira. She didn’t need small talk. She didn’t demand attention. The silence wasn’t awkward or uncomfortable. It was important. You liked not having to scramble to figure out something relatable to talk about. In most cases, talking to other people always highlighted how strange your life was. They would talk about work, which you previously couldn’t do. They would talk about family, which you couldn’t bring up without ruining their day and yours. They would talk about lovers, which you couldn’t really have. Sloppy one night stands at a bar that ended in setting a hotel room on fire were not. Relationships. You couldn’t even talk about tv shows because surprise, you didn’t own a tv. It left you, awkward. And on fire. Except now. When you were neither. It was great.

Moira stood up, carefully emptying the ash into another container before resetting the experiment. She checked over the sensors on your body and applied a few new ones before sitting back down.

“Again, please.” She asked, taking the ash container and preparing various samples. You shrugged and tried. It didn’t take as long. You wanted the paper to catch on fire and it did. The flames licked a bit higher and you felt a small trace of panic as a few embers popped out and raw flame tried to eat the table. Moira didn’t even look when she sprayed the fire extinguisher at the table. You were impressed.

“Don’t worry about the fire spreading. We’re not working on containment yet.” Moira said, finishing her sample arrangement and resetting the experiment again.

Her certainty brought you comfort. Made you feel safe. If Moira, who was clearly brilliant, didn’t think that anything was going wrong then, it wasn’t. You were fine. You were fine and everything was okay. Even when you caught the entire table on fire, it was fine. She put it out and then began to take measurements of the damage to the table. It was all data, all information, all good. You weren’t calm, not by a long shot. But you were comforted. You were okay. Ish.

“Hm. I’m going to draw some blood.” Moira announced after she stepped away from the table. You held out your arm, not minding the needles now. She certainly had a lot of them. That was one way to get over a fear. 

“I’ll be back in an hour and 15 minutes. Eat this.” She handed you her standard ‘don’t pass out’ box of apples, carrots, and cheese. Which honestly wasn’t bad, and you also enjoyed not passing out. It was fun, staying conscious and upright. Not that you didn’t enjoy your nightly periods of laying down unconscious. But that was scheduled. You settled in for a movie on your little personal tablet while you snacked, not noticing the two forms that snuck into the room shortly after Moira left.

“Ya know, I’m wonderin’ why you’re in here and not out in the field.” 

You jumped, the table reigniting and your apple slices sent flying. McCree was back, and he had another man with him who said something in a language you didn’t know. You didn’t look at either of them though. You were too busy scrambling to find the fire extinguisher before you burned the lab down. It was disappointing even after you put out the flames. Your apple slices were on the ground. Those were so good. 

“Holy hell.”

You glowered at McCree as the man stared wide-eyed at the table. That’s when you noticed the other man. He looked… less than well. More than a little machine. What the hell happened to that guy. And how could you avoid it happening to you. Maybe this job was um. A little more dangerous than you were anticipating. You didn’t want to die. But you also didn’t want to keep catching shit on fire or go to prison. So, a bit too late now. Still. Ouch.

“Well. That answers m’question. Knew it had somethin’ to do with ya when I caught fire the other day. I’m guessin’ that’s why ya got hired too.” McCree seemed to regain his composure, prodding at the now very damaged table. You backed up until your back hit the examination table you’d been sitting on earlier. You didn’t like sharing your powers with new people. Especially alone. There couldn’t be much that could happen to you. Moira’s lab was filled with cameras and she was coming back and you all worked for a secret division of a massive military organization. But you still felt, fear. Heat and cold intermingled and the flames were threatening to spring again.

The other man gave an annoyed sigh. “You have no control.”

“Really? I hadn’t noticed.” You snapped, a flicker of flame reappearing to lick at one of the table legs. McCree patted it out and to your surprise, laughed.

“Don’t go pickin’ fights with our new friend Genji. This is Genji by the way. And this is Agent Arson.” McCree smiled and waved at the air between the two of you. “Genji’s just a grump, don’t mind it much. He aint unfriendly. Might have a bit in common if y’all can learn to stand each other.”

You frowned at them both. Maybe you did have something in common with him. Like. Breathing. And needing water. But also, you didn’t need him pointing out your obvious flaws, thank you very much. You could do that just fine on your own. And you did. Frequently. The only reason you didn’t have a spreadsheet on your computer was that you were pretty sure certain things were monitored. And a giant red flag about your mental health would probably result in some questioning. You didn’t want to do therapy with Moira. Maybe.

McCree watched you for a few quiet, awkward minutes as his smile slowly slipped. Then it jumped back and he threw a finger to his lips with a wink.

“Almost forgot our primary mission. C’mon, we’re gonna sneak ya out.” He whispered.

“You’re going to… what.” You raised an eyebrow, leaning back. You didn’t like the sound of that. You also didn’t like either of them. None of what he was saying or doing sounded any kind of okay.

“Figured ya were locked up with,” McCree paused and made a face, “ _the doctor_ all day. So I thought we’d come on by, pick ya up, and we could hang out. Play some cards, eat some popcorn, sneak off base and get drunk. Ya look like you could use a few drinks.”

On one hand, you did not like or trust this man. He was a stranger and probably could kill you. Same went for Genji, who looked like he could, would, and wanted to kill you. Worse. They wouldn’t kill you at all. They would make you have a conversation. Where was Moira you would gladly get stabbed with more needles. But. On the other hand. You really could use a drink. Or five. Or ten. Or however many you could pour into your mouth before you blacked out and woke up next to the smoking shell of a pizza hut. Again.

That being said. You probably shouldn’t do that. Being that you are, very narrowly avoiding life in prison on arson charges. Again. 

“I can’t leave base.” You never actually asked about that. Probably should’ve.

“That’s fine, movies it is then! I got a secret stash if we decide to do shots.” McCree grabbed your arm, dragging you out of the room with Genji close behind. You clutched the fire extinguisher in your free hand. This was not a good idea. You should not be out of Moira’s lab. Moira’s lab was safe. Secure. Fireproof. 

You start enough small wisps of flame on the way that Genji disappears and rejoins you in a small living-roomish area with two more fire extinguishers. He wordlessly handed one to McCree. McCree took it and pointed you to one of the tables in the room. You quickly sat in a chair, almost hugging your extinguisher to you, looking nervously around the room. There was a small kitchen area in the back. Maybe. There was a fridge at least. Various couches and chairs. More tables. A few tv screens. 

“Arson, know how to play Poker?” McCree asked, shuffling a deck of cards.

“Sort of.” You shrugged. There had been enough games in alleyways and dive bars and parks that you knew the basics. Make the cards match. You rarely gambled, it was too much risk and you hated risk. But you still played when there was an occasion to sit and talk to someone. It was something, at least.

McCree dealt out the cards and the game was, surprisingly quiet. Peaceful. You felt yourself cooling down and there were no random sparks or spirals of smoke. You weren’t doing very well at the game. Both McCree and Genji clearly knew a lot more than you. Well, at first anyway. Halfway through you noticed there was a significant increase in the quality of your hands. You slowly raised your eyes up to stare suspiciously at your table.

“Somethin’ wrong?” McCree asked, a small smile twitching on his face.

“Just having some good luck is all.” You say slowly. McCree smiled wider and shrugged. Genji narrowed his eyes at the other man and made a small huffing noise. McCree raised an eyebrow at him. A quiet conversation between two friends in a language you didn’t know. It was awkward. But when McCree turned to you with a wink and a broad grin you gave a small smile back. Maybe you could learn. 

“I thought you were behind my patient’s disappearance, Mr. McCree.” Moira’s voice dripped with disdain as she entered the room. McCree gave her a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Just thought it might be nice to be friendly. We’re all workin’ together after all.” He said.

“I um. Sorry Moira.” You carefully sat the cards down and stood up from the table.

“No one said ya had to leave.” McCree frowned.

“I uh, I know. I just, want to keep working. We’re making progress. Maybe another time.” You scooted closer to Moira, noting the pleased smile on her face. She rested a hand on your shoulder and turned to guide you out of the room.

"Don't be a stranger. You can come to us anytime." McCree called. When you glanced at him, he was eyeing Moira with a dark expression that you definitely didn't like. Moira didn't deserve that. She was a good person, a kind person. Your friend. Right? Well, at least, she was more your friend than McCree was. That was all you had to go on. So you followed her, explaining the table and asking questions about your powers that set Moira's eyes dancing. Which was good. She was your friend. Your best friend.


	6. Feel the Burn

You hadn’t been starting as many random fires as you usually did. You still did it, random flames would pop up now and again, to be put out by you or Moira or Reyes when he was around. But it wasn’t as serious a flame or as frequent. You weren’t sure why. And you didn’t quite want to tell Moira. You trusted her with your life and thought of her as your only friend. But, you also didn’t want to find out what would happen if you told her. Probably more needles?

Still. When Reyes told you it was time to start training you panicked. And then set half your room on fire. So much for progress. He took care of it with a laugh and gently escorted you to a small room not far from Moira’s lab. It was clearly a freshly fireproofed room with brand new equipment. You groaned when you saw the treadmill and he just pat your arm.

“Don’t worry. We’re just trying to get you fit enough to be in the field. We can’t guarantee every mission will be fight free.” Reyes’ smile twitched with a restrained chuckle. “But I have the feeling you’ll learn to smoke the competition.”

“Boss, I hate you.”

“You’ll hate me more by the end of the day, start stretching.” Reyes folded his eyes and waited for you to start moving. You groaned and made exaggerated expressions of pain as you went through the movements Moira had you do before her more awful testing sessions. 

“Stop, you’re leaning forward, you’re going to hurt yourself. Keep your back straight.” Reyes gently put his hands on you, pushing slightly on your shoulders to help you align.

“Like this?” You asked, carefully retrying the stretch. It made it slightly harder but you suppose that just meant you needed to work on that more. It had never occurred to you whether or not you were limber enough. Maybe it should have but there wasn’t much need for flexibility when you were constantly on the run for your life.

“Right. Then you’ll move like this…” His hands against your sides, shifting your body through the next warm up. A firm touch but. Gentle. Your skin heated under his hands and you desperately focused on the movements. All you had to do was follow orders. Follow orders and you probably wouldn’t mess up. Sure, you could mess up anyway, but the least you could do was minimize the problem. Besides, you had no reason to get so flustered over some touches. They were just. Touches. 

“Perfect. Keep that up. Five more and then you do a warm-up jog. 5 minutes.” Reyes circled you, keeping an eye on your form. 

“Five minutes?” You sighed in relief. “Moira has me do it for five hours.”

“Moira’s trying to test your limits in a different way. She has questions. I just want to know if you can do your job and get back.” Reyes shrugged. Fair point. You reminded yourself daily that you were, technically, a soldier now. You never thought you would be a soldier but you never thought you would be anything. A career, a future, a life, those were things you never really thought you could have. This was an opportunity you could not risk blowing. All you really have to do is work out and let Moira poke you with needles. Easy enough.

Actually the working out was fucking awful.

Reyes was right, you hated him.

Your arms were killing you. Your legs were killing you. Your everything was killing you. It was an active battle to remind yourself that you’d like to keep your job more than you would enjoy setting Reyes on fire. Not a huge fire, as much as you accepted your future of killing people you didn’t want to start just yet. A little fire though. A fuck you and your kettlebells fire.

“Boss. Boss, I’m dying.” You groan. You did not whine. You do not whine.

You whined.

“A little more. You have to do the cooldown.” Reyes was so calm. Even though you weren’t particularly strong, not enough to be cleared for anything more than sitting in Moira’s lab, there was nothing harsher than a gentle adjustment and a small note on how much you could lift. A firm kindness. 

“Not bad Agent. You only started a fire twice and you have decent benchmarks. I think you can handle twice a week for a few weeks. We’ll get you-”

“Please.”

“Feeling the burn.” Reyes had that fucking smile and you were too tired to do anything about it. Too warm as well. You would fight anyone who got between you and the sweet, sweet embrace of a shower. Air conditioning up to max. You were going to freeze to death and it would be magnificent. 

“Sorry. I can’t help it. Someday you’ll be making the jokes first.” Reyes’ smile softened and he let a hand rest on your shoulder as he took you back towards your room, which was surprisingly free of much damage. There were only a few trace scorch marks on the ground and wall. The bedding was clearly replaced and the mattress was probably changed with it. But it was still your space. For now.

“I’ll develop a taste for shitty puns?” You raised your eyebrows at him. “Please, Boss. Kill me before that happens. End me before the disease takes hold. Don’t let me suffer.”

His smile slipped into a serious line and he shook his head. “No. You’ll accept yourself. It’ll take time. But you’re going to do real good with us. You’ll learn to trust in yourself.”

Oh. That was, nice. Nice in a way that made the room heat up and your skin crawl from a cold that wasn’t there. In a good way. No one was ever soft to you like that. Treated you as capable of destruction and of being a hero at the same time. Like those were the same thing. Moira treated you as a scientific marvel, and that was nice. Reyes treated you like a friend and fellow soldier. And that was… Nice.

“I’ll be back with some food.” Reyes squeezed your shoulder before leaving you to your glorious shower. Having a shower you could use on a daily basis was definitely one of the best perks of working for a top secret organization. Although it could, really be a perk for working, anywhere you suppose. You did not have a high bar for what made a good job or not. Being able to exist safely was pretty much it. 

Having a frustrating hot boss was both a perk and its opposite. You really wished he wasn’t so attractive. It was easy enough to forget when he was making you work out or you were busy being stabbed by your doctor-friend combo platter. It was a friendly stabbing but any stabbing is enough to distract you from attractive people. You figured you were just fawning over how kind he was to you. Which was a reasonable response. And it would fade quickly enough into a casual friendship and work relationship. It sort of had to. You figured that having any, feelings, for your superior officer was a bad decision waiting to happen. So you just. Weren’t going to make that decision. Yep. That’s how that worked.

The shower helped. So did laying flat on your bed and letting the cool air wash over you. Heat didn’t bother you, in particular. It had to be oven hot for you to start getting uncomfortable and you weren’t sure how hot something would have to be to start to burn you. You’d never directly handled your fire though. You wondered if you could get burned in the first place. Perhaps Moira would be interested in that? Probably after you mastered starting the fire though. She seemed to like doing all of this in gradual steps. Which was good. You were lucky to end up in her care.

You couldn’t wait to be in control of yourself. To have control over something in your life. Bending the very fire that has ravaged your life from day one to your own damn will. Feeling that heat that twisted your guts and lungs and heart and knowing that it won’t tear you out of another safe home. Maybe it was selfish, to care more about the control than you did about helping people. But you could do both. You needed to do both.

“Can I come in?” Reyes tapped on the outside of your door.

“Yeah.” You called back, forcing yourself to sit up. You lounged at the edge of the bed closest to your desk while he pulled out boxes of food and handed you a soda.

“There’s a new barbeque place around the corner. Not a pun, it was just new. Thought we’d try it.” Reyes explained, settling into your desk chair. He opened his mouth to stay something but just smiled when he caught you attempting to introduce an entire corn muffin to your face. You only took a bite of half of it but damn if you didn’t try. It was so good. A little buttery. A little sweet. Not dry at all. The perfect corn muffin. You laughed when Reyes winked and managed to cram an entire muffin into his mouth.

“You’re gonna chew that now hm?” You teased. Reyes nodded, clearly struggling to chew the mouthful of cornbread. 

“Don’t choke now. I don’t know how to save you.” You sipped your drink and tried to hide your smile. He carefully swallowed with a soft cough, taking a long drink of his own soda.

“Maybe we should give you some first aid training.” Reyes wheezed.

“Maybe you shouldn’t eat a whole muffin in one go.” You giggled, small noise turning into a loud laugh at the ‘stern’ look he tossed your way. You had to put down your food to avoid dropping it during your laugh. When you finally stopped you looked up at him and wiped a tear out of your eye. His expression was… soft. Warm. You immediately distracted yourself with a forkful of food. Mac and cheese, good. Awkward thoughts, bad.

“Speaking of training- McCree offered to give you firearms instruction. He seems to think you spend too much time with Moira.” Reyes remarked.

“Of course I do, she’s my doctor, I spontaneously create fire. McCree knows that, I set him on fire.” You pointed out. Plus you, weren’t sure you liked the guy. Sure he was friendly. But he was friendly to you. Less so to Moira. On the plus side the dislike was mutual. You think.

“The offer’s there if you need a break from the testing. I definitely don’t want to release you without basic firearms skills. You'll need hand to hand combat training too, that'll probably be your primary tactic.” He slowly chewed, a thoughtful tilt to his head. “Can you handle direct contact with fire?”

“I’m, not sure? I’ve always ran away. But I was wondering that earlier. I know I can handle pretty extreme temperatures; I rarely get cold even when it’s snowing. But directly touching fire is, different.” You enjoyed the contemplative silence that fell over the both of you. You get his drift. Getting punched by you? Probably not a big deal. Getting punched with a fistful of fucking fire? Will probably hurt. Severely. Especially if just setting someone on fire straight up isn’t an option. Moira would love this question, if she hadn’t already thought about it. She generally had her bases pretty covered.

“That was so good I might cry.” You muttered, falling back onto your bed. “Thanks Boss.”

“Anytime Arson. I’m always game for sharing some flame-grilled food with you.” You could hear the fucking laugh in his voice and you were going to eat your doorframe.

“You said there were no puns involved you liar.” You groaned, covering your face with your hands. Reyes laughed openly and you could hear rustling as he shuffled the trash back into the bag.

“I’m the leader of a covert ops branch of a major organization. Of course I’m a liar. You’re going to be a liar too if you aren’t already.”

“I can’t lie worth a damn. Wait. Let me try.” You pushed yourself up on your elbows. “I adore you, Reyes.”

Reyes made a strange flinching motion but recovered with a roll of his eyes. “Oh, someone’s still sour about having to work out. You know you like me Agent.”

“I do not.” You can’t help but laugh, a helpless bubbling giggle that drops you back down onto the bed. You could hear Reyes slip out of the room, laughing with you.

You do not.

You really do not.


	7. What Fear Feels Like

“I think we’re ready for the next phase of study. Determining the random outbursts of fire will be the key to asserting control and then applying it to military tactics.” Moira spoke faster than usual, the light dancing in her eyes. You matched her enthusiasm to a point. The idea of being able to control your power, control your life, was everything. You were so lucky to be in Moira’s care. She walked into one of the experimentation rooms with a motion for you to follow her.

The room Moira escorted you into was… uncomfortable. There’s no fireproofing. It’s the opposite. There’s a woodpile. Paper everywhere. The place smells like gas. The room is already hot and dry like there’s no moisture in there. Moira sits you in a chair in the center of it all and pats your shoulder.

“This is going to be an intense experiment but I believe it will expedite some of our goals. You can have the week off afterward if you require it. I doubt you will, but it is an option.” She gave you a slow, surveying glance and nodded. Moira returned a few moments later, a syringe in her hand. She swabbed your arm and slowly injected whatever it was into you. You preferred blood getting drawn to stuff getting pumped in. Especially when it felt so… Cold.

You were cold. You didn’t get cold. You experienced it in small glimpses, in a handful of ice, or the first toe touch in the ocean. You didn’t get gold. Didn’t stay cold. Couldn’t stay cold. But you were cold now. In a way that crawled through your veins thick and sluggish. It wrapped itself around your bones and spread thin webs of ice through your skin. So cold you felt the beginning traces of painful numbness whispering at your fingertips.

This wasn’t right. You didn’t get like this. You were never like this. Was this from Moira’s syringe? You didn’t… It must be to test your, your temperature or something but you, but you felt so cold. It was too strong. It was too cold.

It was just a test. It was safe. It was fine. You knew this. You knew it was true. And yet. You were afraid. The fear pulsed from your core and took over faster than the chill. It was choking you. You couldn’t breathe. The only sound you heard was the sound of your own heartbeat pounding in your ears. So fucking loud. So fucking heavy. Your fingertips dug into your arms as you held yourself as tightly as you could.

It was just a test.

It was just a test.

A nearby paper flickered into flame. It raced through the piece of paper and reached for more. The fire wasn’t warm enough. Why wasn’t it warm enough. You were shaking. Shaking. The fire grew. Blossomed. Spread. Consumed. 

“I would advise you to control the spread of the flame.” Moira’s voice came through speakers in the ceiling.

“I… I’m so cold. What’s happening?”

“I’m testing a theory. You are fine.” Moira replied. The lights went off. You were left, alone, cold, in the dark. A skittering noise filled the room. Your flames grew, devouring a table full of paper, providing the sole light of the room.

“Again, I advise you to control the spread.” She said. But you couldn’t. You couldn’t. You wanted it to stop. Wanted the cold to stop. The fire grew to consume every inch of the room. You could feel the heat pulsing, growing. There was so much. So much. It was everywhere. At first the fire was, withstandable. It was wiping away the cold, which would have helped for the fear if you weren’t also frightened by the rising flames. You had never been in the center of your own fires before. You were blinded by the searing light. A stray flicker of bright blue fire brushed against your leg. You screamed and jumped back. Too hot. The fire was too hot. The lights clicked on and a fire suppressor dropped from the ceiling to smother the flames.

“Interesting. My theory is correct.” Moira appeared, gently pulling you out of the room and pushing you to sit on one of the examination tables. She peacefully applied burn salve to the small burn on your leg. 

You felt woozy. Calmer. Safer. But woozy.

“Theory?”

“You tend to set sporadic fires only when you are nervous, frightened, or upset. Anger doesn’t actually seem to be a cause. Which means, it’s a defense mechanism. The way some animals bristle with spines or puff up. You create fire to protect yourself.” Moira explained. 

You glanced down at your leg. “I burned myself.”

“Yes. You can probably experience some degree of resistance to flame but you aren’t entirely immune to fire just yet. All in all, you performed well. Exactly as I thought you would. We just need to teach you to control your fire under stress.” Moira stepped back and grabbed her tablet. “I doubt the compound I just used will be sufficient for long-term training. And it might interfere with other aspects of my research. I’ll find something else.”

You just nodded, still looking at your leg. It was a relief to be out of the room. It was a relief that Moira wasn’t going to make you feel that horrible cold again. It was a relief to have an answer. Fear. It’s always been fear. You’ve never felt completely safe or secure. Even here. The fear of losing all of this keeps you on edge. And now that fear is holding you back. Better. You need to do better.

“How can I gain control?” If control made you feel safe and feeling safe kept you from setting the world on fire… You needed it. Moira took her time answering you, looking between you and her screens.

“While we could dilute the solution and attempt to have you overcome the raw feeling, I believe it may be easier and more productive to take out two birds with one stone. We’ll start with combat applications. If you can weave a flame through a needle, then you should have the confidence to control it.” Moira mused. 

“Good. That’s good. I train with Reyes tomorrow so, we’ll start the next day?” You, part of you thought you needed the week off. Just to, collect yourself. But the bulk of you wanted to push forward. The bulk of you wanted results as quickly as you could get them. The bulk of you never wanted to feel exposed and weak again. You had power over fire. It was time that you started to feel some sort of strength from that.

Moira smiled at you. “Perfect. I’ll use the rest of today and tomorrow to adjust our combat experiment layouts based on what we just completed. We’ve hit another milestone. Now that we see the flaws we can buff them out. And then, then we can work on cutting the stone.”

Moira’s praise felt great. A little, sterile, sometimes. But still. If you could make her and Reyes pleased with you… Well, it would be a good thing.

You winced as you walked out of her lab. Your burn wasn’t incredibly painful, but it still hurt as you moved. You couldn’t wait to lounge in your room. Maybe you would watch some shitty movies, eat some snacks, take a nap. You could use a nice nap after that. Maybe a hot shower, as hot as possible. Some warm blankets. The heater turned on.

“Agent? What happened.” 

You looked over your shoulder to see Reyes walking behind you, his eyes on the bandage on your leg. 

“Oh. Lost control a bit, Moira gave me the rest of the day off. I should be fine tomorrow, it doesn’t look like a big burn, and she didn’t say I couldn’t.” You shrugged. Reyes opened his mouth to say something and then stopped, frowning at your leg. You waited until he caught up to keep walking down the hall. The normally chatty man was stone silent. You figured he had a lot on his shoulders. Running a black ops division couldn’t be easy. The secrets alone must weigh him down.

“Um. I was gonna watch a movie did you, wanna join me?” You asked. He gave you a little smile and nodded. You hoped you could take some of that stress for him once you were out on the field. Although for all you knew, having someone like you active would just bring him more stress.

He watched you as you walked. You tried not to wince whenever the burn felt particularly painful. If he decided to cancel tomorrow’s training it would put your progress back. Not that you made much progress with the physical training but that was the entire point. Although you did hate working out. It would never be fun no matter how many times Reyes laughed and gently teased you with those warm eyes and... moving on. Moving anywhere else. Flying away. Into the sun, fwoosh.

“Can you take orders?”

The question came out of nowhere, stopping you in your tracks and making you cast a confused look towards Reyes. He was frowning at you. Not with anger or irritation just… something? Perhaps it was the stress he was already carrying with him.

“Um... Yes… sir?” 

“When I said be careful and pace yourself, it was an order. I’ve seen videos of major fires you’ve caused before. If you can get out of those unharmed… I don’t know what you were doing, but next time, it won’t get far enough to burn you. Do you understand, Agent?” Reyes pointed at your leg. Oh. Well, in those cases you were probably out of the building before things got out of hand but… You got his point.

“Yeah, I understand. Moira thinks it’s, all a defense mechanism anyway. Like… smacking an actor at a haunted house. Only, it’s setting the actor on fire. And everything else on fire. I’m an anxiety based arsonist, I guess.” You glanced around the hall as you spoke hoping a stray bit of fire didn’t pop up.

“... That makes sense. You do seem nervous. Perhaps I should start setting you up with Dr. Ziegler.” Reyes muttered, mostly to himself. Ziegler was a name you heard before. McCree said it when you first met. She was the woman he wanted to transport you to when he thought you were sick. You felt a small trickle of anxiety flare back up. You would rather, not see this Ziegler. You were used to Moira, today was… bad but it was, important. To the research. 

“Moira has a plan to help me with that. Everything is fine Boss. I’m going to be a little more careful about what I try to light on fire. I promise.” You leaned towards him, knocking your shoulder against his arm. 

Reyes crossed his arms. “Are you going to keep that promise, Agent?”

“I always keep my promises.” You paused. “Wait… well. I’ll always keep my promises to you. Boss.”

He smiled at you, a small smile with a heavy weight in his eyes and caution cutting lines into his forehead. It couldn’t be easy, commanding Blackwatch. Couldn’t be easy, being part of Overwatch. None of his background, none of his heroics, could have been easy. You smiled back and opened the door to your little room, turning your holo-screen on and tossing him a bag of chips.

“My pick.”

“Sure, as long as it’s not Repercussions again.” Reyes settled into your desk chair, pulling open the bag.

“Repercussions is a mastery of modern cinema.” You snorted.

“The CGI’s not bad enough to be a b-movie, not good enough to be a good movie.” He smirked. “You just have bad taste.”

“I’ll fight you, Boss.” You joked, putting on some fantasy flick instead of the Best Movie Ever Created, Thank You.

“Oh will you? Ready for hand to hand combat training already?” The weariness was gone from his eyes, replaced with the usual playful light.

“Please no.”

“Was that a yes? Good, we’ll do a workout in the morning and start training in the afternoon.”

“Boss please.”

“We’ll start with some simple boxing and see how you take to that.”

“Sir.”

“Maybe kickboxing. It’ll be great Agent. You’ll enjoy it.”

You groaned. Tomorrow was going to suck.


	8. Training

“So I was thinkin’ that we could all train together today.” McCree and Genji were waiting with Reyes when you went for another training session. Reyes shrugged.

“You’ve been pretty good lately. Not combat ready but I think it’s time to give you clearance to at least spend time with the team.”

“We do a lot of, solo ventures but it’s still a good idea to get to know one another.” McCree offered a smile and motioned for you to join him on the sparring mat. “All I know about ya is that you’re a firestarter.”

“I will personally hurt you.” Not another pun maker. You could hear Reyes snickering and watched McCree’s face shift from confused to aware.

“Sorry, didn’t mean that.” He apologized, stretching as you joined him.

“Don’t get all hot-headed fighting McCree, I don’t need an agent with heat stroke.”

“I’m going to hurt our Boss.” You attempted a swing at McCree.

“Don’t blame ya darlin’.” McCree dodged out of your reach, circling you in a cautious stance. It was already a different feel sparring with him than with Reyes.

There was nothing more distracting than Reyes teaching you hand to hand combat. At first, it was mostly punching a punching bag. Maybe a few kicks once in a while. But when he became satisfied with your posture and your ability to form a fist he moved forward. His hands on you, moving with you, against you. Teaching you to defend yourself, to learn when to move from defensive to offensive. How to fight when your opponent was bigger than you. Stronger than you. They likely would have years more experience you did. You would need to fight dirty. Aim to kill, always.

Each session was a mixed bag. Sometimes it would go just fine. You would learn new techniques and practice and train yourself to be faster, stronger, more capable. He would assess your skills and give you tips. It was a good session. Other times. Other times he would make a joke and smile and then you’d laugh and, every touch would be a little bit awkward. They were getting a little rarer but it was still so… so… difficult.

Punching McCree was a lot easier.

Partly because he kept sharing his opinions on how healthy it was to keep you locked up with no one to talk to but Moira. Not that he ever said Moira. He would only ever mutter O’Deorain at best. Mostly it was the doctor or that doctor or just a look of disapproval. When there weren’t any sessions for firearms training set up he invited himself to your hand to hand combat training. You got it, he thought she was creepy, thought he was protecting you. That’s great. You didn’t know him, didn’t need protection.

That being said he was a pretty decent sparring partner. He kept on the defensive, part of his attention always on the inevitability of being set on fire. It made it easier to get a few hits in. You still lost, but it was getting a little less embarrassing with every throw of your fists. You flopped onto the ground after the last hit, looking up to watch Reyes and Genji go at it. It was terrifying. Both of them seemed to be one step ahead of the other, always aware of where the other was moving and how to counter it. Were you expected to reach that kind of level? That kind of speed and cool grace? You weren’t graceful. You were, destructive. Shambling. Barely able to keep yourself upright and on your feet and you weren’t even doing that right now. You sighed. Hopefully, fire would fill the gaps you naturally had.

“Ya gonna stay down there.” McCree crouched next to you, one eyebrow raised and a hand held out. You took it and let him haul you back to your feet.

“Ow.” You muttered. “I’d rather get stabbed with needles.”

McCree made a face like he was going to say something but didn’t. You were pleased. If he said something about your sessions with Moira one more time you’d have to punch him and if you punched him he’d punch back and you really didn’t want to spar anymore. You wanted to lie down and whine. Maybe while having wine. You hadn’t had liquor since you last spent time with McCree and Genji and you would gladly kill a man for a glass of something with bite. Maybe now that you could walk around Blackwatch’s section of the base you could find something somewhere. Not that it would do you much good. It took a lot of liquor to get you even the tiniest bit drunk and you tended to burn it off pretty quickly.

You will never tell Reyes that. Never. You can already feel the spirits jokes coming. They're out there. They will find you.

“You’re not bad. Got a good left hook.” McCree spoke again, waving you out of your thoughts. “Just need t’work on trackin’ your opponents more. You’re distracted.”

“I was trying not to set you on fire.” You shrugged. That wouldn’t be a problem out in the field. Actual enemies were supposed to catch on fire. That was the entire point of your exercises with Moira. Controlled burns. Hot burns. How hot could you get before you made yourself sick.

“Next time, set him on fire.” You glanced at Genji in surprise as he approached the two of you. You laughed hoping it was a joke. It might not have been. But Genji just seemed to be default angry. Maybe this was default angry with a slathering of joking on top. It was a mystery that you didn’t care to solve. 

“Hey now, I’ve already been set on fire. Don’t need that again.” McCree huffed, crossing his arms with an exaggerated bounce. 

“That was just your arm. I think. What about your other arm hm?” You wiggled your fingers at him. He took a step away from you and you laughed. You had no actual intention of setting anyone in Blackwatch on fire. At least, not until you had full control and could do it without burning them. Moira believed you could. Fire that could touch and not harm would have a lot of applications. Apparently. 

“I need my other arm on fire like I need it cut off.” McCree retorted. “I like hangin’ out with ya but keep the fire to yourself please.”

“Aw c’mon McCree. It’s just a little flame, who doesn’t like getting hot and bothered.”

Oh no.

“Don’t give the newbie Hell over it.”

Oh No.

“It’s just a bit of-”

“Commander, Sir, Boss, Whatever I need to call you-” You started. But of course. Of course.

“Spice.”

You slowly slid to your knees, bending over to rest your face on the ground. You couldn’t take this. He was so bad. It was so unending. At least McCree had the decency of groaning at the puns. Pun suffering solidarity. You could appreciate that. You could also appreciate Reyes picking you up off the ground like a bag of cotton balls and settling you on his shoulder. Or you could. Not appreciate that.

“Please put me down I’m not firewood.” You regretted opening your mouth. McCree made a fake face of indignation at you and you deserved it. Reyes laughed, setting you onto your feet.

“C’mon, that was good work. Have lunch with us.” You could say no. Probably should say no. Moira had plans to test your speed in setting fires today. If you could snap them into existence you would be able to defend yourself with a lot more ease than you were now. But. You didn’t want to leave Reyes just yet. And you could stand to get to know your teammates. A little bit. Not much. Maybe.

You got a pair of smiles and a huff when you nodded. That may have been a happy huff coming from Genji. Who knows. Maybe you could just establish blunt communication with him. One huff for angry-happy. Two huffs for angry-angry. Three for ‘if you’re still in the room when I finish making these noises you’re going to die’. The last one would be tricky. Maybe you could cover your exit with fire. 

Unless Genji didn’t mind fire.

Fuck.

“So, what do y’all usually talk about? Besides the puns.” McCree asked in between bites of his sandwich. You frowned at him, letting the crests of disgruntled disappointment slip from you in the horridly viscous waves.

“The puns are always there Agent McCree. Always. They’re inescapable.” You sigh.

“They’re good for you.” Reyes shrugged. You aren’t even sure where he found pasta salad and you’re hoping it’s not older than your stay at Blackwatch.

“Each one takes a year off my life.” You crunch on a chip.

“Good for your mental health.” He winked. You ate your next chip with as much grumbly gusto as you could. Just crunch that thing. Real good. Which made your emotional tablemates laugh and earned you a look from Genji that said he knew your pain. Or he may be offering to stab you. Could be both. Either would be appreciated really.

“Can ya light this?” McCree pulled a cigar out of his vest. 

“At the table McCree?” Reyes pulled his plate closer to him as though to shield it from being tainted by the cigar. It wasn’t that bad. Most cigars smelled tolerable enough while you walked away. It wasn’t like cigarettes, where you had to hold your breath as you walked in a desperate attempt to pretend like the smell wasn’t there.

“I’m pretty sure I’m going to miss and set you, the table, or the couch over there on fire. But sure. Let me enable your incredibly unhealthy smoking desires. It definitely won’t cause you physical harm in any way.” You stared at the cigar, trying to pinpoint the flame. It was bigger than you expected, an apple-sized flash of flame that almost reached up towards McCree’s arm if he wasn’t fast enough to pat most of it down.

“Whoops. We haven’t done any experiments to see if I can stop the fires I start.” You shrugged.

“Well, good enough. And don’t worry about my health. If I get sick I’ll go pay Dr. Ziegler a visit.” McCree tucked the cigar into his mouth and stood up. He tossed his trash away and headed out the door, calling back over his shoulder.

“You should visit her too when you’re cleared to explore the rest of Overwatch. She could probably look after your health just as well as she does mine.”

You immediately feel your soda sour in your mouth. You didn’t need this Dr. Ziegler and you’d love for people to stop implying that you needed her. Moira was an excellent doctor and a good friend. She hadn’t done anything to hurt you. Spook you a little but hey. Turns out you’re easily spooked. All the time. You just needed to gain confidence in your abilities and that would go away. No Ziegler required.

Genji narrowed his eyes at the expression on your face, smoothly getting up and leaving as well. You weren’t quite sure what his problem was but you didn’t really care. He was a stranger. Who you were mildly intimidated by. And if anyone was in danger of getting spontaneously set on fire it was probably the man who intimidated you.

“... You won’t have to see Ziegler if you don’t want to. It may not be a choice if you get hurt on a mission though. She already has your medical records.” Reyes was looking at you with soft eyes. 

“She has my medical records?” Well, that was… unauthorized.

“Moira sends them to her.” Oh. It was authorized.

“So she knows about… the fire?” You didn’t like the idea of someone outside of Blackwatch being aware of your existence. That Morrison, the apparent leader of the entire organization, knowing was bad enough. You didn’t want to work for someone who was so convinced you were a filthy criminal. A monster.

“No, she doesn’t have that kind of detail. Moira is very protective of her work. Of you. But she does know that you’re prone to overheating, that you get hit with fatigue occasionally, that you rarely get sick. If you need her she can help you. If you don’t want to need her, then we’ll have to train you harder.” Reyes continued eating, his nonchalance calming you down.

“Moira and I planned to work on my control some more today. I should probably join her.” You sighed, collecting your own trash.

“No, you’re going to join me back in the sparring room. McCree was just level one. Now I’m going to get my hands on you.”

Why did he have to say it like that. You throw away your trash and sigh. Why.


	9. Simple Solution

Fire. Exercise. Fire. Exercise. Your days are the same thing, repeated in a long loop. It would be easy to say that you were sick of it but the truth was you weren’t. You were happy. It had been so long since you’d had the chance to stay in one place more than a week. And you’d been at Blackwatch for months. The same place. Doing the same thing. Seeing the same people. Everyone knew you could snap your fingers and start a fire. And everyone was okay with that. You were safe. Finally safe. 

Maybe. There was still a lingering thread of doubt twisting its way through your spine. Maybe you needed to relax and work it out. Or maybe it was good to be a little prepared. The last thing you wanted was to let yourself forget about the past only for history to repeat itself and knock you on your ass. That would suck.

“What does it feel like? Creating the flames?” Moira asked, leaning over your shoulder and watching you reaching out towards a small fire you had been burning for the past hour. You’re pretty sure it was out of actual wood to burn at this point. You squinted at it. It was a strange thing to thing about. But if Moira was asking then it had to be important. If you’d learned anything from spending time with her, it’s that she only did anything if it was useful. There was always a purpose, always a meaning, always a goal. And that was good. Probably. 

“Almost like. Like I’m floating but I’m not. I feel this, lightness and energy. And heat. It’s always so hot.” You remind yourself to take another drink of cold water. You’ve never been so hydrated and yet you always feel like you need more water.

“Do you feel your power?” Moira asked, staring at your hands as though she expected answers to fly out of them. Which she probably did. And they probably would. Moira had a gift like that.

“I guess? I’m still getting used to the whole ‘it’s not a bad thing’ situation.” You were sure you would like your powers eventually. Reyes encouraged it and Moira seemed so certain that they were so amazing. Valuable. You liked having value. Liked being useful to someone for something. Especially since all you have to do for Moira is just. Exist. Sometimes stuff is easy.

It was so fucking hot though.

The more you used your power, the more fire you created, the longer you held the fire, it all made you so much hotter. It was lava in your core that pushed out towards your skin. Dizziness was starting to creep in. You could call it off, that was always an option. You could stop any experiment and go cool down somewhere. But you didn’t want to. You wanted to push until you passed out. Which you were still doing quite often. Sometimes you got caught up in the excitement.

“Hm. I see.” Moira took a few notes on her tablet. “We’ll work on that when the time comes. I’ll have to contact colleagues to develop the right plan.” 

“Ugh, you aren’t going to suggest I go to this Ziegler lady too, are you?” You groaned.

“Ziegler, no. I have no intention of sharing my research with her. Particularly not such a valuable subject.” Moira said quickly. She masked her disgust just quickly enough to prevent you from reading into it. Your best guess was good old-fashioned workplace rivalry. Not that you knew anything about that sort of thing. There was always time to learn though. You could stand for antagonizing McCree a bit. Nothing fancy, just setting him on fire now and then. He’ll be fine.

“I’m merely going to ask what you can follow through for yourself. Don’t worry, I won’t let anyone else get their hands on you.” She finished. It was a relief. You didn’t care what Moira was getting out of it; you weren’t a scientist and any information beyond ‘make fire’ was of no interest to you. If she saw something else in between the lines that was great for her. You were glad. She deserved to get whatever information and accolades she could. Moira was the only doctor who had taken any kind of interest in a wayward not-arsonist. Especially now that you were training to be an actual arsonist. That would normally put people off. Just a bit.

There was a beep and Moira tapped your arm. “Enough.”

“Burritos done?” You joked.

“Your vital signs are destabilizing, for now, your body can’t handle continuing.” Moira sighed. She would clearly like to continue. You would like to say you felt the same but you were relieved. A moment of rest was sorely needed. Sleep sounded so good. But no, she said you were too warm. You probably needed a shower. Some ice. A smoothie. You sat patiently while she removed her sensors before stumbling into the shower. The dizziness was almost all-consuming. But it was worthwhile. It was worth it. You just had to remember that.

Especially since your fire was what made you useful.

Your reluctant firearms lessons with McCree and your observations of Genji let you know just who you were stacking up against. They were good at their jobs. So much so that it was a little frightening. If you wanted to be at that level you had to make sacrifices. Moira would pull you back if you pushed yourself too far. Reyes would kill you if you pushed yourself too far. You couldn’t blame him. You wouldn’t be useful if you were dead.

Moira had pieces of a suit waiting for you when you got out. It looked like the sort of jumpsuit that professional racers wore. Beside it was a strange box with hoses and straps.

“What is this?”

“A prototype of a cooling suit. Obviously not suitable for covert operations but it should handle well while working on our research.” Moira fiddled with one of the sleeves before motioning you over. You held out your arms and waited while she reattached sensors and pulled the suit onto you. It was cumbersome and uncomfortable. And hot. Like a sweater. You didn’t understand the purpose until she attached the box and turned it on. A few moments later the suit was cold, almost uncomfortable cold.

“I probably couldn’t move very well in this.” You mused, taking a few steps.

“No, not as well as we'd like. Again, a prototype. Although I hope to improve your status so you no longer require a cooling mechanism. Still that’s, months if not years of work out.” Moira pointed back into the testing room. You obediently went in, waiting until she gave the go ahead to start lighting the new wood pile on fire. The cold relaxed you and the fire burned almost, leisurely. Like you were watching a fireplace with a nice cup of tea.

You got curious. Pulled the fire up in strings and tendrils. Watched it move. You forgot that you were testing, forgot that there was some goal here. You just played with it. Engaged with the flame like you would a nervous cat. You guided it around the wood, targeting logs near the bottom of the fire and watching the rest topple down. It was almost fun how much the fire behaved. Plus not feeling woozy from the heat was amazing. The threat of passing out was all but gone. This was the sort of finesse you had been missing. It was the heat that kept you from focusing. But now you knew. Manage your body heat and you could manage the fire. You drew it close to you, stepping back when the wall of heat hissed its warning. Now was not the time to burn yourself. Again.

“How do you feel, Agent?” Moira spoke.

“Just fine. Great, actually.” You turned to grin at her.

“The cooling suit’s effects far exceed my projections.” Moira hummed, a small smile on her face. “And this is a mere prototype. I just need to refine the design and it’ll buy us the time to figure out how to help you manage the heat without outside assistance.”

“You can do that?” You would love to not feel sick after using your powers for too long. Also you’d love to be less bothered by heat. Unless the trade-off was sweating more. You would rather avoid that.

“Of course. It will take time but we have plenty of that. It can wait until after we have you cleared for combat though. Putting you in the field will be ideal for gathering additional data.” Moira tapped a few more things into her notepad.

“Think that’ll be fast?”

“Perhaps. It depends on how satisfied Reyes with your abilities.” She put down her tablet and started pulling you out of your suit. “There’s certainly quite a bit to refine before you go out. Perhaps a few more months on our end.”

Understandable. You wanted to start working, to prove yourself. Praise was a little addicting. Also, you were feeling the tiniest bit fidgety. Blackwatch was a small section of the base once you were used to its maze-like structure. You didn’t have clearance to leave through the thick metal doors so you never went near them. Hadn’t seen the outside since you had gotten there. Not that the sun was that great but you would love to get out a little bit.

“Let’s take your vitals and some blood samples. We’re another step forward in our goals. Let’s keep moving.”


	10. Scientists are Cool

“And then I said, I’ll show you wrangling. Then I shot him.” 

You looked up at McCree over your cards, raising your eyebrow. “Isn’t wrangling with a rope. Or something.”

“Have you ever wrangled?” He jabbed his finger at you.

“Not really.”

“Then I shot him. And that was wrangling.”

McCree looked awfully pleased with himself and there’s really nothing you could do about it. What did you know about wrangling? You’re not even entirely sure what wrangling means. Gathering maybe? Herding? Who knows. Maybe McCree knows, but whether he does or doesn’t you couldn’t argue the fact. Maybe you should start taking online classes or something. It’s getting annoying that your cowboy friend/not friend knew so much more than you did. 

“What are you talking about?” Reyes appeared behind you, resting his elbows on your shoulders and his hands on your head. His head joined his hands and you sighed.

“Someone, not naming names, is questioning my stories.” McCree faked a huff, discarding a portion of his hand before drawing again.

“Agent, shame on you. McCree’s too sensitive for that.” Reyes chuckled.

“You’re right Boss. Our sensitive desert bloom.” You rolled your eyes, giving them a second turn when Reyes reached down to pick through your hand. “Am I that bad at poker.”

“You’re not bad. Not good either.” McCree shrugged. He no longer cheated better cards into your hands, but you were still pretty sure he went easy on you. It was an acquired skill and not one that you were putting that much effort into. Who cared if you sucked at cards. You were a soldier not a con artist. Yet anyway. Who knew what the future held, maybe you were a con artist in the making.

“I’ll show you how to cheat with the best of them.” Reyes’s voice rumbled above you. Almost like a cat’s purr. He lounged on you like a damn cat too. Maybe he liked being warm. Or maybe he was just a touchy sort of person. Either way, you were used to it by this point. Maybe even found it comforting in the corner of your mind that was still unwilling to lie to yourself. The bastard.

“Thanks Boss. I can’t wait.”

“No problem. Every time you play you’ll be on a hot streak.”

“The only thing keeping me from throwing myself off the top of the base is the fact that I don’t know how to get up there. I’m not even sure how to leave Blackwatch’s quarters.” You frown. 

“Hm. It is looking like your lockdown isn’t necessary anymore.” Reyes mused. “Care to run errands with me Agent? It’ll be a good chance to take a look at the rest of the organization. Blackwatch generally operates without Overwatch’s involvement but that doesn’t mean we’re alone in this.”

“Uh. Sure?” You shrugged. Reyes put down the cards, showing your now reasonable hand of two pairs before pulling your chair back. 

“Perfect. You’re going to love endless meetings and pretending to like people.” He smiled.

You stood up and grinned at him. “I’m already excellent at pretending to like people. I pretend to like McCree all the time.”

“Hey.” McCree fake pouted at you.

“Sorry.” You hide your chuckle and follow Reyes out of the room. McCree wasn’t that bad. A little over-protective of people and too prone to pretending to be less clever than he was, but he was okay. A decent enough acquaintance. Maybe friend if he ever laid off of Moira. It was weird how set he was that having her around was bad. She was just a dedicated scientist.

Leaving Blackwatch’s private section was strange. Everything became a lot more vibrantly colored. A lot of blue and yellow, a lot of potted plants here and there. A lot of uniformed soldiers wandering around. Blackwatch’s only uniform seemed to be wear black. Maybe some red. Black and red. Go. You glanced down at your outfit. Grey pants. Black tank. Logoless, for once. Your ‘out’ gear. It marked you as clearly not being a part of Overwatch and yet, standing next to Reyes, made your station clear. You were one of his. 

“You remember Morrison?” Reyes glanced over to you.

“Blonde guy, got annoyed you didn’t put me in prison?” You nodded. Jack Morrison was the Strike Commander, the head of Overwatch. Reyes’ job was hard enough, you could only imagine the amount of stress on Morrison’s head. You feel a little guilty about burning his building down. At least you could honestly say it wouldn’t happen again. Probably. Maybe.

Eh.

“Got a meeting with him and Lieutenant Amari first thing. Then we’ve got a meeting with Engineering, about your suit actually. Then we’ve got order some supplies, pick up other supplies, another meeting after that.” Reyes listed, groaning at the end. “It’s gonna be a long day Agent.”

“Sounds like tons of fun boss.”

“Oh, you won’t believe the amount of fun we’re about to have Arson.” He slung his arm over your shoulders. “It’s going to be great.”

It was not great. The meeting with Morrison and Amari started as awkwardly as you imagined it would. They didn’t have ‘assistants’ with them, just Reyes. You sat in a chair off to the side and pretended that you didn’t notice Morrison staring at you like he was trying to figure out if he was suspicious or not.

“Brought along one of my recruits. Haven’t been out of my area in a while so I figured why not.” Reyes shrugged.

“Really Reyes?” Morrison sighed, rubbing his forehead. A woman, whom you assumed was Amari, just chuckled. She was eyeing you with a searching expression that clearly found exactly what she was looking for. It was, sorta unsettling. You’ve never been so instantaneously intimidated by a stranger. 

“It’s not really classified Jack. Let the recruit stay.” Amari smiled. Morrison sighed and began to groan over details that he clearly didn’t care about. What was, supposedly, a formal meeting of Overwatch’s top brass quickly became the top three most exhausted soldiers muttering under their collective breath about ‘public appearance’ requests.

“We should send the recruit.” Morrison spoke, almost laying his face down on the table.

“Pick one of yours, mine is Black ops.” Reyes smirked. Morrison groaned. A painful, exhausted groan.

“Send Oxton, she’s a sweet thing.” Amari suggested, patting his shoulder.

You almost smiled. You didn’t realize that a bonus to being in the black ops division was getting to avoid public appearances. It made sense. People always got excited when news of a famous Overwatch operative coming to town made its rounds. You didn’t realize that agents were literally being assigned the job of going to these places and just, talking to people. Photo ops and all that. The idea made your skin crawl. Thank everything you were safe within your black ops division. Can’t expose the potential spies and undercovers after all.

“Well that’s everything I need to be involved with-” Reyes announced, pushing himself up from the table.

“Gabriel don’t leave us with this.” Morrison sighed, face still on the table.

“Sorry, couldn’t hear you, c’mon Agent we can’t keep next appointment waiting.” Reyes cheerfully ignored his friend, holding the door for you to leave in front of him. You could hear Amari snickering as the two of you left. Poor Commander Morrison.

“Is, that guy going to be okay?” You asked, looking over your shoulder.

“Oh he’ll be fine. He’s dealt with a lot worse than this, and there’s probably a lot worse to come.” He smiled at you. “But hopefully we can cut off the worse of it before it happens. Now, are you ready to meet one of our lead scientists?”

The ‘lead scientist’ was a monkey. Or actually an ape. Monkeys have tails. Apes don’t. Apes are bigger. Smarter. Not smart enough to do science. Most of the time. Or actually that depends on the definition of science. A lot of stuff can be science if you set the bar real low. This bar was not real low. This bar was high. This bar was ‘this gorilla can talk’ high. 

You shook his hand with hesitation, trying to hide your confusion.

“It’s nice to meet you, Agent. I admit I was intrigued when I read about your...condition. But I understand wanting to keep it under wraps. My name is Winston by the way.” Winston shook your hand with a great smile. You bit back a wince. Another, agent, aware of what you could do. He eagerly guided you to a table in the center of his lab. There was a bodysuit on the table, made of a strange fabric that you couldn’t place. Almost like, fish scales.

“It took me a while to design a system light enough to allow movement and effect enough to keep your condition from overheating you, according to the specifications I was sent. Go on, touch it.” Winston seemed excited to see your reaction. You gently laid a hand on the fabric. It was almost icey. Much better than the heavy stuffy gear Moira had used as a prototype. You could hold onto your fire a lot longer in this.

“This is amazing Winston.” You picked it up, feeling the lightweight in your hands. “I think you’ve just solved the biggest problem keeping me out of the field.”

“Aside from training, which we’re not done with.” Reyes remarked behind you. You rolled your eyes and grinned at Winston.

“Thank you for creating this.”

“It’s part of my job, but I’m glad to help you. And, um. You don’t have to worry about, things. You’re not the only friend I have who’s needed my help. In fact, we’d love to have you around. Lena doesn’t know about you of course, but I think you’d be comfortable around her.” Winston nervously fidgeted on the other side of the table. A more natural smile found its way to your face.

“Thank you, Winston. I might take you up on that.” You do like to hang out with scientists, after all.


	11. Sharpshooter

Each time you visit the training yard you push the simulation a little bit further. You never go during the day, always making sure that no one else is there before you are. Blackwatch has their own little area, not as in depth as Overwatch’s sprawling arena. But it’ll do. And it’s better for you, most of your fights won’t be on battlefields they’ll be in cities, in alleyways, in office hallways with less cover and fewer options. Nothing but you, the enemy, and five seconds to make a decision before you’re dead.

So you push it. Reyes has you on a schedule but you want to do more, faster. Moira understands. She’s been unlocking the training area for you, keeping a record of your off-record progress. Sometimes she mutters about plans and ideas and theories. Ideas about you or what you can do or what she can do with you. You’re sure she can do something amazing with what she’s learned. That she can help you master yourself. And then get better. 

Get better is a little subjective. You’re not even sure what your opinion on it would be. Once upon a time getting rid of your powers entirely would have been better. Now, getting control of your powers seemed like better. In the future? What would you be like. How would you feel.

Too far ahead. You need to concentrate on the now. Your aim is awful.

You use a standard issue pistol. It’s nothing fancy or ornate, just something to get the job done. Body shots are good, body shots can down an opponent. But that doesn’t feel like, enough. McCree can hit a dime with his eyes closed and you can barely trust yourself to hit the chest. If someone is coming at you and you can’t burn them, you’ll need to shoot them. You sigh and reset the simulation to only register headshots. The only way to get better is to push yourself. You couldn’t keep relying on McCree to give you lessons; he had his own missions to deal with.

“I wondered who I would find out here. Agent, is he really calling you Agent Arson?”

You spun around and almost fell back. Lieutenant Amari was smiling at you, a rifle casually slung over her shoulder. Of course she was a sniper. The woman was terrifying. Where was Moira when you needed someone to hide behind. Oh shit she was waiting for you to speak. Fuck.

“Oh sorry, um. Yeah. He’s unstoppable.” You put most of your concentration into not lighting anything on fire. Just keep calm. Fire will not help you right now.

“Gabriel always has a joke somewhere. It’s one of the best things about him. You’re in good hands, it’s strange that he isn’t here supervising you.”

This woman knows everything and anything. You need a hug.

“I’m just working off the clock. I don’t really have anything else to do.” Hobbies were for people who didn’t set things on fire. You could start. Maybe you would garden. Can’t really do that you live on a military base. Maybe a single plant. Like. A cactus. Was having a cactus a hobby? 

“Hm. I could give you some tips if you’d like. Some would say I have a good aim.” Amari leaned her rifle against the wall. It seemed like that wasn’t quite an offer and more of a game plan. Well, you weren’t going to turn down an opportunity. Advice was advice, it didn’t matter where it came from.

“Sure, that would be great. Thank you.”

“Do as I do.” Amari smiled, pulling a pistol out of her side holster and taking a stance at your side. You watched her as you moved with a wary eye always on her face. Searching for a sign of disapproval or of, you’re not sure. Of something.

“Fire a few rounds for me?” Not a question. You fired at the closest training targets. Missed two shots, hit the third though. You kept your curse to yourself. 

“There’s no need to be nervous.” She said. You begged to differ.

“I mean that. That’s your problem, your nerves are making you miss your mark. It’s alright, all new shooters have that problem. Though Gabriel tells me it’s a significant issue for you. It’s why you haven’t wandered out of your halls yet.” Ana explained. She fired a few rounds. Her target had a single hole.

“... Reyes talks about me?”

“You concern Jack. Gabriel’s convinced me that you’re a valuable asset, but I think it might be good for you to socialize a bit more. It’s not your field training that’s the problem, Agent.” Amari glanced at you with a serious frown. No that. That wasn’t a look of disapproval it was the same look McCree gave you when you ditched him to jump for Moira. Concern.

“I uh, I’m going to hang out with Winston and… What was her name. Um.”

“Lena?”

“Yes, thank you. We’re watching a movie.” You were actually going to turn him down. You had been considering some extra practice with Moira that afternoon. The two of you were exploring how close you had to be to set something on fire. But, you didn’t want to disappoint Amari. Also she scared you. And you did like Winston. Hadn’t met Lena yet but...fingers crossed.

“Good. A balance of work and play is important. I was worried you weren’t going to visit with them.” There’s nothing this woman doesn’t know. Nothing.

“Try again. That target, there.” Amari casually pointed to another training bot, holstering her own pistol. You fired and hit it on the first shot. The first of the day.

“See. It’s your nerves. Though your aim could use some work. Let me make some adjustments to the simulation.”

Training with Amari was a lot less… tense, than you thought it would be. She was still intimidating but she was kind. Less hands-on than Reyes and more precise than McCree. It didn’t mean that they weren’t good teachers. But you did need to reach beyond Blackwatch if you wanted to be useful to Blackwatch. You didn’t know the rest of Overwatch. You were one of them and you weren’t and it made you uncomfortable. That was what Ana saw. That’s what she didn’t like. If you fixed that then she’d like you. And hopefully she would train you more.

You were getting frequent headshots now. Hitting more than you missed. She adjusted the simulations mid-exercise, forcing you to adapt to rapidly changing situations. She was kind but she pushed. Hard. It was, good. It was what you wanted. Progression at any cost. Even if you were panting hard and feeling woozy towards the end of it. At least you didn’t set her on fire.

“Well done. I’ll have to pay you a visit more often.” Amari slung her rifle back onto her shoulder. 

“I would appreciate it. Thank you Lieutenant Amari.” You wheezed. You were going to need a long, long bath. And then a nap. And then you had to text Winston to let him know that you were going to show up after all.

“Please, call me Ana. You’re one of us after all.” Amari… Ana, walked with you as you left the training area. “I can see why Gabriel thinks so highly of you.”

You raised an eyebrow. “I haven’t even done anything yet. I’m not sure I’ll make it out into the field at this rate.”

“Oh, you’ll be out in the field before you know it.” Ana laughed. “It’s a shame you were snagged by Blackwatch. I can see you being quite useful in major operations.”

“Doesn’t Overwatch mostly concern itself with omnics?” You asked.

“It’s more of an even mix that you’d expect, and fire works better against them than most realize. Regardless of who our opponent is being able to keep them contained with a blaze is a large asset.” Ana sighed. “But I can see how these skills would serve well in covert activities. As long as you make friends and keep yourself grounded, you’ll do well.”

You just nodded. If you were successful enough in the field you could always request a transfer. Not that you would. Blackwatch was your home. It hadn’t been your home for long but it was just long enough for you to feel, comfortable. Safe. Plus, if you transferred to Overwatch you would lose Moira as your doctor. You supposed this Ziegler woman must be quite the kind healer for everyone to think so highly of her but you were. Okay. Just fine. That wasn’t all too necessary. It was okay.

“I look forward to seeing you around the base more. And let me know if Jack tries to hassle you back into the Blackwatch halls. I’ll handle him.” Ana squeezed your shoulder. Poor Morrison. You hoped he left you alone for his own sake.

“Thanks Ana.”

You disappeared into your room, pausing before your desk. With a nervous sigh you tapped your messenger, calling Winston.

“Hello?”

“Um. Hi Winston. I was wondering if you and… L..ena? Still wanted to watch a movie Friday?” You forced yourself to look Winston in the eyes, or, screen-eyes. You did want to make friends. And Winston did seem nice. And Ana was Terrifying.

“YES!” A voice called from behind Winston. Winston laughed and visibly tried to keep someone out of the frame.

“That would be lovely Agent Arson.-” “What are your favorite movies?!” “We can’t wait to see you-” “I’ll bring snacks! Do you like jelly babies?!” “Is 1 in the afternoon acceptable?” “Do you like tea?!”

You were smiling before you realized it. The girl, presumably Lena, shouting into Winston’s computer sounded so, excited. “You pick the movies, sure I love any food, tea is okay, and yes 1 is fine.”

“I can’t wait to meet you! This’ll be great.” Lena shouted again. 

“Likewise. I’ll message you the details. Or, Lena will. She’s already listing off the movies. It will be a long afternoon.” Winston chuckled. 

“Sounds like a fun afternoon.” You smiled. Winston grinned at that and gave you a nod. Alright. This was going to be, alright.


	12. Observations

“Hey Boss?”

“Yes?”

“I hate you.”

Reyes laughed, holding out a hand to help you off the training room floor. The last match had been the longest you’d been able to hold out against Reyes. He still won in the end, and everything ached, but hey. Small victories.

“You’re getting good, hotshot.” Reyes hauled you to your feet. “Heard you’re getting better with your firearms too.”

You winced. You had forgotten to tell him that you’d gotten some pointers from Ana. Not surprised that he found out though. Leader of a black ops division and all.

“Yeah. Amari is. Impressive.” Impressively scary.

“You don’t need to keep working on your free time. That’s how you end up like me. Or worse, that’s how you end up like Morrison.” Reyes made a face and rolled his eyes.

“I’m just, eager to get out there. I want to help.” You rubbed the back of your head, noting the soft ache in your shoulder. You might want to ice that. Or avoid lifting anything else today. Maybe both.

“Like I said, that’s how you end up like me.” Reyes snorted. His face went soft and he gazed at you, quietly.

“I’m just concerned about your safety. I-” He paused and shrugged. “I don’t want my agents dead. I get less of you, have to make sure you’re prepared for anything. You didn’t come in here with training. If I want you to come back I have to make sure you get that training.

“I know. I’m just bored I guess.” You understood the concern. It would be a waste to spend all the time studying and training you only for you to die on your first mission. Also, you didn’t want to die. Especially not by getting shot or stabbed or whatever else was happening to people. Definitely not whatever happened to Genji. You still didn’t know and you never would know. You just weren’t going to ask. It was none of your business. Unless he needed you to set someone on fire. Then you supposed it would become your business. Like a light switch.

“Don’t you have that movie thing with Winston and Oxton?” Reyes walked with you out of the training area. You groaned and rubbed your forehead. It wasn’t a good idea. You could set them on fire accidentally. You probably wouldn’t but… It was still sort of something to be worried about? Even if Winston was aware of your abilities. And even if he developed your new suit. You should be scheduling meetings with him to test it rather than testing it with Moira. You were so used to spending time in her lab though.

You dropped your arms from your face. “Yeah. I was thinking of canceling but he and Lena seemed so excited and also. Ana knows. I feel like if I don’t go I’m going to get shot in the leg and then dragged to Winston’s lab tied up like a deer.”

Reyes laughed, loud and hearty and pretty nice. What a great laugh, you were sort of jealous. Then again you made him laugh so, go you? He wiped away a stray tear and nodded at you.

“Oh, she would. If you try to avoid it I’ll tell her to. Don’t give me that look she’ll find us both. I’m sure Moira will forgive me for throwing you under the proverbial bus. She might even be happy to study your healing. I might get bonus points.” Light glimmered in Reyes’ eyes. The idea of a woman taking time out of her incredibly busy, stressful job to hunt down a coworker’s employee and force them into a social situation via sniping them was hilarious. Also apparently a legitimate concern. You were afraid. 

“Perfectly understandable Boss, I would also throw you under the Amari bus.” You nodded solemnly, then threw up a smile. “So Moira canceled today’s session, apparently had another meeting to deal with. Want to watch a movie? I copied over all of McCree’s shitty downloads with even shitter downloads.”

“I have my own meetings, but I could do with an assistant-”

Oh no Reyes’ meetings were boring. The only time they were remotely interesting was when Morrison looked like he was considering crying and or early alcoholism. And even then that was more sad than interesting.

“No you know that’s okay I’m sure Genji wants to watch some movies, especially if they’re ruining McCree’s movies Genji’s the pettiest of us all-” You started quickly trying to get yourself out of it but it was too late. Reyes dropped his arm over your shoulders and pulled you towards the dorms.

“Too late, clean up and get ready for being friendly.” How could he find joy in this he was going to the meetings to.

“Nah that’s okay it’s fine I just won’t come out of my room.” Bam, loophole.

“I pay you, you have to come.” Fucking. Contracts.

“God it’s so boring though. McCree! McCree save me, Reyes is trying to make me go to Meetings and Errands. McCree you turn back around. Shoot me McCree, shoot me!” You shouted at the rapidly retreating back of your sort of friend. You wonder if this was revenge for overriding his shitty movies. They weren’t all bad but most of them were just bad enough to be unwatchable. There wasn’t even a particular genre to them he just seemed to fucking zero in on the worst possible movies and present them all like he was a waiter unveiling wine at a fancy restaurant.

Reyes was still smiling as he collected you from your dorm. “Thank you for coming with me, Agent. We’re going to have a very exciting meeting with some people who have no idea what’s going on. Ever.”

“I don’t know what’s going on ever.” You mutter.

“It’s different. And soon you will know. You’ll have high clearance. A lot of classified information will make its way to you. You’ll produce a lot of classified information.” Reyes eyed you approvingly.

“Aren’t I technically classified information as a person?” You joked.

“A little, yes. As far as anyone knows you’re just an Overwatch recruit. Most people won’t even know that, really. You’re a ghost with as small a paper trail as we can manage. Your record isn’t just clean it’s gone.” He explained. Which was interesting. Would make getting a house and such hard if you ever left. Not that you would. This was home.

“Actually. Now that I think about it. I want you to pay attention during the meeting. Try to watch everyone as inconspicuously as you can. Hand movements, expressions, tones. Try to figure out what they mean from what they’re saying.” Reyes’ smile was sharp, almost fanged. The first time you ever really noticed that he was, in fact, a dangerous man.

You tried to ignore that in favor of doing as he asked. Watching people without them noticing was always a habit of yours. You had to recognize when people were talking about you. When they were calling the cops or even worse when they were going to get their shotgun. You were hardwired to be aware of people looking at you. Of trying to figure out why they were looking as quickly as possible. You were anxious. It’s how you were. Watching them felt like putting on an old ratty jacket. They were critical. They were lying. There were a lot of questions about expenses and projects that they didn’t care about. They were just there to take a look at Overwatch’s Commanders. 

Morrison looked like he was so, so close to attempting to eat them. You would offer to cook them first but he’d probably refuse and just go for it. Like eating an apple. Or a head of lettuce.

Some of them looked at you, curious. Like they would look at a new car. At something they might like to control if only they knew a little more information. You managed to keep any fire from breaking out. The room was warmer than it should be, but you kept your calm. Morrison had to deal with this all the time. No wonder Reyes preferred working in Blackwatch. Black ops require quiet. Require no one to know. It was subtle and silent and required very little meetings with politicians in small rooms.

“I’m going to set myself on fire so that I never have to experience this again. I already know Commander Morrison’s in, anyone else?” You asked as soon as the room had cleared and free of prying ears. Morrison sighed in the background while Ana laughed.

“No, thank you. I believe my daughter would be a little angry if I died.” She shook her head. You looked at Reyes and made a general ‘you wanna’ gesture.

“No one is allowed to set themselves on fire.” Reyes snorted. “Looking at both of you.”

“Loophole: I set a car on fire and we get into the car.” 

“Now you’re just not allowed near cars.” Reyes stood up and shook his head. Damn if your loopholes weren’t constantly getting shut down by this man. Damn.

“What about planes.” 

“Stop encouraging the death threats Morrison.” The two men stared at each other for a moment before bursting out into laughter. You had never heard Morrison laugh before. You didn’t think he could. He seemed like the human incarnation of an oversqueaked squeaky toy. The squeaker was broken. No more squeak would be squawked. The end of a squeaky era. It seemed like he had a few squeaks left in him though. 

Reyes waited until you were within Blackwatch’s closed doors before leaning towards you. “So, what did you see?”

“That they’re liars who don’t really care what Overwatch is doing.” You shrugged. “Also: Didn’t know Morrison could laugh. I’m sort of frightened. It feels like hearing a Banshee scream. There’s that moment where you feel a sense of awe that they are real after all and then you realize that means that all the tales about them are probably real and that you’re going to die.”

You liked making Reyes laugh. His eyes crinkled and he almost always wrapped one or both arms around his torso like even the smallest chuckle would make him tumble apart. He laughed freely and often. It made you happy. 

“Oh, he is definitely a banshee. Don’t tell him I told you, he’ll scream at me and that hurts. C’mon, we’re going to have to spend the rest of the afternoon working on your observation skills and espionage tactics. Just in case. It’s not the type of work I intend on assigning you but, sometimes I need agents.” Reyes said. You didn’t mind. Working with a handful of parts meant a lot of specialized roles had to learn to multitask. McCree would probably be better suited for it but if he was busy it would be you.

Reyes tapped onto his holo screen and gave you the same sharp-toothed grin from earlier. “We’ll start simple. You’re looking into the crowd. How do you examine them without anyone realizing that you’re watching them?”

You were quiet as you thought it over. There were a lot of answers. Most of them seemed ridiculous, or relied too much on technology. You gave a shrug. The only answer you had was the simplest one. “I don’t think I could be, not obvious. I’d just go with people watching. Get a fancy coffee, have out my phone, look at them judgmentally and all that.” 

He nodded approvingly. “Interesting strategy. That’s why I like you, Arson. Even when you think you can’t, you find a way. I like my agents quick thinking. Creative. Let’s see how many situations you can apply that creativity to.”


	13. Friendship

You’re nervous. It’s not an unfamiliar feeling for you but this time there’s a strange sense of, comfort. You’re nervous but not for the normal reasons. If something’s set on fire, that’s fine. That’s expected. You’re heading towards people who are fully prepared for a spontaneous flame to break out. There’s nothing to really worry about on that front. Plus you’re pretty sure you’re not going to be too far from the medical wing so if someone gets set on fire they’ll be fine. You’re nervous but it’s just, just about meeting new people. Which is fine. You’re fine. It’s fine.

There are a few glances at you as you walk through Overwatch’s halls. Most a quick look at the id tag you have dangling off the hem of your shirt. Making sure that you’re not wandering somewhere you’re not supposed to. No one stops you, which you’re grateful for. You know that you’re supposed to tell most folk you belong to a personal squad of guards for the commanders and that you’re in training but really, you don’t know how believable that sounds. You never saw any guards hanging around Morrison at the meetings or Ana when she swung by to give you another shooting lesson. But maybe that was the point. Maybe there was a secret defense detail. It probably wouldn’t be you though. Unless you could learn to be real subtle about the fire.

“Oh you’re here!” A young woman with short brown hair chirped from near a haphazard collection of couches and chairs. She bound over to you, throwing her arms around your shoulders with a laugh. Someone was certainly energetic.

“Hi! I’m Lena! It’s so great to meet you!” Lena released you with a bounce and lept back towards the couch. You followed her, tilting your head in surprise when you noticed Genji tucked into one of the chairs.

“Genji said you might be nervous so he wanted to join us. Familiar face, ya know?” Lena grinned, noticing your expression. Genji looked at you without adding anything else. That was, well nice. You liked Genji well enough. He was like a cat. A very angry cat. A very angry cat who was probably not incredibly thrilled to be hanging out for some movies but was doing it anyway because his teammate set things on fire when alarmed.

You sat in the chair next to his with a small smile. “Thanks Genji.”

He just nodded once, a small almost imperceptible nod. You had to admit you did feel better with him there. There’d have to be some sort of a thank you. What did Genji like? You weren’t sure. The two of you never really talked much. Maybe that was a mistake. Not that you knew what he’d want to talk about. Maybe you would offer to set people on fire for him once you were cleared for the field. 

“Lena, help me with the popcorn?” Winston called, precariously balancing a very large bowl of popcorn in one of his hands as he walked in from a side room. “Agent Arson, you made it!”

“Ugh that’s such a horrible code name. What about, hee, Firearm?” Lena came back with a second bowl.

“Please no. Not the puns. I already get so many puns.” You groaned.

“Jalapeno.” Genji remarked. You pushed through your shock to give him a mildly betrayed look.

“Habanero.” Lena plopped down on the couch next to Winston.

“Please no.” This was torture. You didn’t ask for this. Why did everyone in Overwatch like horrible dad jokes. Why was it everywhere. Was it something in the water? Take enough showers at the Overwatch headquarters and you too would come to love horrible jokes. It would consume you, body and soul. 

“Anaheim?”

“Poblano.” 

“Serrano.”

“I will set both of you on fire. Or steal your popcorn. No wait.” You smirked. “I’m going to burn the popcorn.”

Lena gasped. “Smokey no.”

You laughed, snagging a handful out of the bowl. “I will regret saying this but Smokey is fine.”

A good choice. Lena smiled at you with an excited little chirp. Or gasp? You’re not sure. She was happy about it, at least. Her enthusiasm was bright and vibrant and so likable. Her movie choices weren’t bad either. A lot of science fiction, a little bit of suspense and thrillers. A lot less to make fun of during the course of it but there was still laughter and lightheartedness. Comfort. You hadn’t noticed when the last traces of anxiety fell away but they were gone. This was nice. This was, this was what the future looked like. What your life looked like. You blinked back the smallest threat of a tear. There wasn’t a reason to cry. Everything was, good. 

Then there was a small, strange light out of the corner of your eye. Lena was, blurring? Slightly. Enough that Winston turned and paused the movie with a short gasp.

“Lena, your harness.” He picked her up and deposited her on the other side of the couch. Lena ran out of the room, returning with a strange bulky harness that glowed with a bright blue core. She sat back down and fidgeted. Enthusiastic joy replaced with a nervous energy. Because she did something strange in front of someone she didn’t know. Someone that she didn’t quite trust yet. You knew the feeling.

“Sorry about that, I have um. A little issue with time. But it’s fine! Winston’s working on it and I feel great.” Lena smiled a little too wide and avoided meeting anyone’s eyes. You nodded and held out your hand. A small ball of fire flickered to life as the room started to warm.

“I still lose control too sometimes.” You admit. “But we’ll both get there.”

Lena watched the fire burn with wide eyes. It was one thing to have an idea of your ability, but another to see it happen. Especially now that you sort of knew what you were doing. A little. In a sense. There were still the occasional spontaneous flames and you were knocking yourself out more often than not. But you could create fire well enough. Especially something small like the little ball hovering in the air.

“Actually now that I mention it I can’t put this out.” You looked around for water or, a, large sheet or something to smother it. A fire extinguisher blasted at your hand and Genji snorted, returning it to its spot next to his chair. Someone came very prepared for his unskilled friend and their continued lack of control. 

“Thanks Genji.”

“Don’t do that for fun.” He scolded, but his tone didn’t hold any weight. It felt light and you laughed in response.

“Sorry Genji.”

“That was awesome!” Lena cheered and clapped. “You just made fire! Out of nowhere! That was so great! Oh let me-”

She jumped in a flash of blue light, turning on an air conditioner. Blissfully so, the room felt a little too toasty now that you released heat into it. You wondered if it was safe to just wear Winston’s suit all the time. It would be a lot better than having to gulp down ice cubes just because you made the tiniest flame.

Also you need to figure out how to make the fire stop that’s. That’s a priority.

“There we go. What a neat ability, I’d love to see it again! In a training environment, of course. I like to practice alone when the other recruits on base aren’t active. That way I can, feel free to make mistakes and figure it all out.” Lena relaxed. “If you want to train with me, of course.”

“You can join Lena and I for a sparring match.” Genji remarked. 

You leaned away from him with the best look of horror you could muster. “Please no I don’t want my ass handed to - Oh but that’d be the point wouldn’t it. To intentionally train with someone who I know will kick my ass. That’s a bad idea. That’s such a bad idea. Yeah let’s do it. I’m game. I’ve accepted my fate. Not right now. Later. We’re having such a good time right now please.”

“It won’t be that bad! Genji’s a great partner.” Lena laughed. But it would be that bad. Genji was your teammate. He was definitely going to be harder on you than he needed to be. Because someone was in a rush to get out into the field and someone was already training hard on their own and someone would probably appreciate the experience as long as you learned something from it. Yeah. He was going to kick your ass. Awesome.

Lena restarted the movie, though none of you were really paying attention. It was good background noise. Like music but there wasn’t the risk of a really bad song turning on. Wouldn’t be the first time you burned a radio. Would be the first time you didn’t take a hotel with it though. 

You were just talking. About nothing, stories and tangents and nonsense. Casual conversation between the weirdest members of Overwatch over popcorn and candy and why does Winston have so many peanut butter flavored things. It’s playful jokes and laughter and, well worth taking the afternoon off. Sure you had to be threatened with a sniper rifle to get you there but hey. You were there, and it was pretty great. Pretty great for sure.


	14. Prove Thyself

“I don’t approve of putting such a valuable asset out in the field. If you don’t complete this assessment perfectly I will put a stop to it.” Moira muttered as she checked over your vitals for the fourth time in a row. You appreciated her concern, you really did. But you wanted this. 

“Think of all the new data though.” You smiled, adjusting your simple street clothes. Winston’s suit fit you perfectly, there was no trace of it under the jeans or shirt. Perfectly incognito. No one looking at you would realize that you were actively setting something on fire. With all the work you’d put into setting fires while perfectly still you would be damned if your outfit was what gave it all away. That was a lot of uncomfortable itchy hours strapped to an examination table. Your poor, itchy foot. It’s struggle would not be forgotten.

“I suppose the data will be useful, but it’s worthless without the live specimen. Your survival is important to me.” She sighed and set down her chart. “But I suppose my say in this is limited. You are cleared for this, examination.”

“Great!” You gave her another smile. “I promise, it’ll go well.”

Moira hmph’d and kept her eyes on the screen. You weren’t lying. You had been training your ass off for this. Just one more bout in the training arena and you would be cleared for the field. You would finally be an active member of Blackwatch. Or, Overwatch. You pulled out your phone as you headed down the hall, grinning at the screen.

“Hey Winston, Doc cleared me!”

“That’s great! I’m coming down to watch you. Arena B right?” Winston got up from whatever he was working on, the screen following him as he moved.

“Yeah, Arena B. Thanks for coming Winston. I’ve seen the man on the verge of crawling into a cave and never coming out but Morrison still, well he’s still the leader. Plus Ana is terrifying.” And she had been taking the time to teach you how to shoot. You would be letting her down if you didn’t get this right. She never outlined consequences for letting her down but you were not going to find out what they might be.

“I know what you mean.” Winston chuckled. “How’s the suit feel?”

“Amazing. I honestly never want to take it off. It’s really nice to not have to carry damp towels with me wherever I go. You’re the best Winston.” Not having to constantly throw yourself into a shower to cool down was nice too. It was sort of comforting that Winston was willing to show up for your test. He was probably working on something important too. There were so many projects in Winston’s lab, it was a wonder he ever found time to breathe let alone watch a friend run around with training bots. You knew Lena would show up too if she wasn’t actively out on a mission. Hopefully she’d come back okay.

You wish you could talk to them about Blackwatch. But as far as they knew you were just another Overwatch agent. One that wasn’t part of their division but was still their friend. It felt a bit like you were lying to them but it wasn’t the biggest lie. You were technically part of Overwatch. Helping to keep the world safe and all that. At least you didn’t have to lie to Genji or McCree. You just didn’t like McCree as much as you liked Winston. McCree still occasionally muttered something under his breath about Moira and Winston didn’t even know Moira existed. Even if he did you had no doubts he would be polite to her. They might even be friends. You knew that she was interested in his existence. Moira would die to have her hands on both of you. But there are lines drawn so all she has is you and Winston will never be the wiser. It was for the better, Winston was too busy with his own work to help Moira with hers.

“Are you going to put your phone away when you get here?” Winston asked.

“Yeah, see you when it’s over.”

“Good luck!”

“Thank you.” You turned your phone off, slipping it into your pocket. Realistically you were going to be on your phone a lot during missions. You weren’t particularly going to be making any calls to your friends at a secure military base, that was risky, but you would have it out to play games or pretend to text or something. A way to disguise that you were actively setting something on fire as you walked past it. You had already taken that field test privately with Reyes. This was a combat exam, a worst-case-scenario for you. For that, he brought in Morrison and Amari. Plus, technically, Morrison and Amari were not supposed to know what you were up to. Morrison knew, vaguely, that you were Blackwatch and running operations. Occasionally they made their way to him but mostly. Mostly it was quiet. This was as close as he’d ever get. Hopefully.

“Commander, Moira says I’m clear but she’s not happy about it.” You called out as you walked into the training area. Commander Morrison immediately frowned your way. You wonder who he was less happy about, McCree the ex-deadlock or you, the technically-still-an-arsonist. Probably you. The whole ‘still doing it’ thing doesn’t help. Adding that you are now doing it on purpose also doesn’t help. That makes it much worse. The only thing keeping you from digging a metaphorical hole into the center of the earth is the wisdom to keep your mouth shut.

“Good. Get in place. Morrison set up the drill and Amari and I approved it. You’ve got five minutes to stretch.” Reyes’ normal smile was absent, replaced with a serious frown. You missed the smile. Oh well. It would just have to be earned. With hard work and not crying in the middle of the training arena. You could cry outside of the training arena. In a janitorial closet. Like an Adult.

Your commanders disappear into an observation room, leaving you alone with your thoughts and the pressure of an impending test. You’re not too sure what happens if you fail. Will you get kicked out of Overwatch? You doubt it, too much has been put into you to just let you go. Will you be transferred? That’s a bit more likely. You’re trained for subtlety but that doesn’t mean you can’t be retrained for open combat situations. Probably put under Amari’s orders given that she likes you more than Morrison does. Best case scenario you go back to Moira’s lab for more work. Unpleasant. But better than alternatives.

The room came alive with a whirr. The lights adjusted, then went off. You could barely make out the nearest cover in front of you, a waist-high barrier. You could hear the training bots beginning to deploy. They would see you long before you could see them. And they did. Stunning shots began to ring out, forcing you to duck behind the barrier as the shots hissed past you. The telltale clank of approaching training bots approached your cover.

If you set the nearest one on fire, it would be a beacon for all the other bots in the arena. They would beeline straight for you and you weren’t sure that was a fight you could get out of. You didn’t have the hand to hand skill that Genji did and your aim still wasn’t half as good as McCree. Your value was in your flames.

You glanced over the barrier. If you could set a large enough fire far enough from where you were you could see, and keep the training bots off of your ass long enough to take them out. Just had to hope there was something over there to burn. Holding large fires still made you tire out too fast. You started the fire as far as you could, guiding the flames to lick up the side of the metal wall they were near. You could see training bots heading towards the flames, searching the area. The ones nearest to you didn’t buy it and shots continued coming your way. It was good enough.

A few quick shots took out the nearest bot, a small wave of fire blinded the other two long enough for you to shoot them down. The commotion was enough to ruin your distraction beacon but it was enough to get you to another area of cover. Plus you could see and that was, ya know. Useful.

There were a lot more training bots in the arena than you thought there were. It also didn’t help that once you had your fire going the cover began to move. Barriers were lowering and popping up and shifting position side to side. You were forced to move to avoid getting shot, diving forward and taking out the two bots between you and your next cover. It was chaos. There were shots everywhere and in order to see you had to spread the flames. You did your best to choose the bots you set on fire and the ones you shot. Trying to control the flow of enemies with fire as you slid from cover to cover. Your panic gave way to a calm. No, an exhilaration. You knew what you were doing. It was still frightening, getting shot would suck, but still. You enjoyed it. Maybe you’d enjoy an actual mission more.

One of the training bots blew up in a distracting shower of bolts and sparks. Distracting enough for you to lose the bots tracking you and hole yourself up in a corner. You felt warm. Not hot, but warm. Winston’s suit was keeping you comfortable. You really owed him one. You spread the fire, letting it grow and blanket the arena. There was whirring and popping and then silence. You waited until the fire suppression system kicked in and Reyes’ voice came over the speakers.

“Return to the beginning, Agent.”

You took a deep breath and slid out of your hiding spot. It was over. Hopefully you passed with flying colors being that you were not currently covered in bruises and bleeding everywhere. You eyed the lingering fires as you stepped through the area. It would be nice to be able to put out the fires you started. Not that you would usually need to but, what if you did once? Just once. Maybe that would be something you and Moira could work on next. More control, more finesse.

You lifted your head up as you approached the commanders, listening in as Reyes spoke. “My agent passed, Morrison.”

“Your agent relied too heavily on using fire.” Morrison didn’t sound happy. A bit snippy maybe. He was usually pretty snippy.

“The firearm accuracy was good, Jack.” Ana smiled as you approached, giving you a friendly wave.

“Agent Arson is meant to be a stealth performer. In and out without active engagements. And I’ve already tested the stealth elements.” Reyes didn’t move his eyes from Morrison. The two silently stared each other down, making things increasingly uncomfortable for everyone involved. Ana sighed, patting Jack’s shoulder.

“You have passed, Agent Arson. Welcome to Overwatch.”

Morrison opened his mouth to argue but Ana pushed him through the training arena’s doors and far away from you. You sighed out the breath you’d been holding. That was that. There’d always be more training but now it would be between missions. Moving forward in your career. Having a career in the first place. Sort of exciting.

“He’s so stubborn,” Reyes muttered. “Ah well. At least Ana backed us up.”

“So, that’s it for the tests right? I’m good to go? When are you going to send me off?” You grinned. Time for real work. Not that you didn’t enjoy sitting still for Moira all day.

“Cool your heels, you’ll still need medical clearance before each mission for a while. We have to take this slow.” His words were scolding but his eyes were full of light amusement. The sort of amusement that happened when he…

“Are we switching to temperature related puns. Branching out in the pun department. Reaching real hard.” You sighed.

Reyes relaxed into his laugh, the stress he’d gained from his small argument with Morrison dripping away. He slid an arm over your shoulders and gave you a one-armed hug. His other arm was draped across his torso, as though to hold in his chuckles.

“I thought I’d give it a try. What do you say we celebrate? There are exactly three restaurants close by that I won’t attract attention at, and two of them are good.” He offered.

You reached an arm over to hug him back. “Sounds good, Boss. But we have to go to the third one.”

“Please no. I can’t handle that much salt. It’s on everything hot stuff, Everything.” The mock horror on his face made you laugh.

“Fine. Your pick. I'll meet you after I chat with Winston. This suit is amazing." You reluctantly slipped away from Reyes, already missing the weight on your shoulders.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about how long this took! The flu kicked my ass through four different time zones and into next Tuesday. It was so bad I put "Get a Flu Shot" on my calendar in September. I'm not even sure that's when flu season starts. I'm not sure when it ends. All I know is I have so much to catch up on. Wish me luck <3


	15. A Night Out

“You did it!” Winston greeted you with an inescapable hug. You did your best to hug him back despite limited use of your arms. 

“Thanks! Your suit helped a ton. I don’t feel like I’m going to throw up! Or pass out. Or die. Or all of the above, it was an unpleasant side effect.” You still couldn’t carry your powers on indefinitely, just long enough to get the job done. Start the fire, make sure it burned what it was supposed to burn, and then leave. You shouldn’t need to push beyond the suit’s limits. Fingers crossed and wishful thinking.

“Great! I’m so glad I get the chance to really help people.” Winston released you, his eyes getting that far off, dreamy look of his. “And when I help you, I help all of the people you save. We’re going to do amazing things, Smokes.”

“I’m ready to save the world with you Winston.” You grinned. His do-good attitude was good for the soul. So hopeful and optimistic. It was a nice change of pace from the snark committee. The most optimistic thing that came out of Blackwatch was the general satisfaction that they would never have to be on Public Relations duty. You were safe from public scrutiny and would only ever have to meet with UN members if Reyes was dragging you with him. At least now you had the sweet, sweet excuse of being tired from missions. It’s the little things that make life worth it.

You stretched. “But first, I want a shower and food. You gonna be online later?”

“No, I have a few more tweaks I wanted to apply to a new piece I’m working on. But I didn’t want to miss your test. I filmed it for Lena.” Winston wiggled his phone. “Tomorrow perhaps.”

“You’re the best Winston. Let me know if you need a hand, my schedule is clear unless the commander pops something on me.” You waved, starting to walk away. “Let me know okay?”

“Sounds good.”

You almost ran back to your room you were so excited. Success felt amazing. You had no idea what you were going to chase next. Maybe just, maybe just happiness. Peace. Maybe an established pattern of your life. A familiar breakfast, a regular time you hung out with friends, work, hobbies, probably going to school. You, still don’t quite have that covered. Which is fine. Your job doesn’t really require math. But it’s, it’s a goal. That you can chase. For fun. Just because you can. You can have any goal you want.

It’s exhilarating.

A quick shower and you’re already missing your suit. You can’t wear it off base when you’re not working, it’s incredibly valuable technology even if it’s extremely specific. If something were to happen then someone could use Winston’s creation without crediting him. You felt a responsibility to keep it safe. Especially when Winston put so much into making it and then kept thinking about ways to make it even better. Besides. What fires are you going to light going out to eat? You aren’t cooking your own food and even if you were, probably shouldn’t do it with your fire powers. That seems like a great way to burn the food. Not even salvageable-burned no just really bad. Charcoal. 

“Ready?” Reyes knocked on your door. You opened it, still smiling, stepping out of your room with a slight bounce. 

“Yeah, what are we eating?” You lead the way towards the Blackwatch exit. Reyes snorted behind you, clearly amused by your excitement. Let him be. This was one of the best things to happen to you. Not that it was a very big list, but it was definitely up there. You would remember this when you were old and dying. Or at least dying. One way or another the memory would linger.

“You can choose between a little cafe that does mostly swedish food and also for some reason makes pizza or a thai place” He took over leading the way through Overwatch’s halls. You only really went between Winston’s lab and Blackwatch. This was actually the first time you had clearance to leave the base and you didn’t even know how to go about that. Turned out it was a lot of doors and a lot of security checks. You were hidden behind so many barriers it was easy to see how no one really knew about Blackwatch. They could never make it that far into headquarters.

“I don’t really have many opinions either way. I’m more of a ‘If someone gives me food I’m going to eat it’ sorta person.” You never asked many questions about food when you got it. Mostly it was ‘Am I allergic to this?’ and the answer was generally no. Not dying when you eat something was the best case scenario for a long while.

“Hm, we’ll go to the thai place then. Save the cafe for when you really, really want good pizza.” Reyes replied.

“Is it good pizza?” You asked, marveling at the size of the parking garage at headquarters. There were a lot more agents here than you expected. Maybe this wasn’t just agents though. There were other people working for Overwatch weren’t there? All sorts of people worked together to make all of this happen. 

“Eh it’s okay. There’s a way better place a few blocks down but they know who I am so it could be, weird.” Reyes shrugged. “Most places are weird, but it can be worth it for good food. But we’re celebrating so I would prefer this to be, quieter.”

You nodded in agreement. Quiet was good. It would ruin your cover if people caught one of the big names in Overwatch hanging out with you at a restaurant. Questions would be asked and that was, not ideal. But he knew where to go and what to do, so you just relaxed. Let yourself have this moment of peace before things got real intense real fast. The world sped by outside of the car as Reyes drove you through the small city that surrounded Overwatch’s headquarters. He took you out into some suburbs, small and quiet, to a little restaurant that had just a few cars in the parking lot. 

“Hey look it’s you.” Reyes pointed at the menu. You glanced up to see him pointing at a little chile pepper next to one of the item names and sighed. He began to chuckle and you put down your own menu to hold your face in your hands. Why didn’t you pick swedish food. What if it was good. What if swedish food is fucking delicious and doesn’t have fucking peppers on the menu.

Reyes did look pretty nice when he was laughing though. Especially when he was laughing at one of his fucking jokes. You shook your head, giving in and laughing too. He was so god damned silly. When you laughed his eyes lit up and he leaned forward. He watched you chuckle until the laughter finally died down and you stopped to take a long breath. Reyes had such soft, warm eyes. They were gorgeous really. Perhaps you spent a little too much time looking at them but hey, you were picking food. What else was there to do? Maybe that was just an excuse. It was a clever excuse though. Besides. He was looking back. So it’s fine.

“You’ll be the death of me.” You snorted. “You and your shitty jokes.”

“You like my shitty jokes.” Reyes said. The conversation paused as the server took your orders. Long enough for the joke to fade away and leave behind just a soft warmth.

“You’re happier.” He remarked, resting his face in one of his hands. Reyes’ eyes shifted over your face, taking in your features. You didn’t feel examined in a critical way. It felt more like, a study. It was nice. You smiled at him. Why not.

“Yeah.”

“Good.” A great conversation. The two of you were masters of verbal communication. Experts. Poets. Or maybe you were too busy just gazing across the table at each other which is definitely a normal thing that people do. 

“So, as vague as we can be, what happens now?” You’re talking about the job, of course. That’s what you’re thinking about. That, and only that. Of course you are.

“Well, mostly the same. Training. Waiting. Until something comes up and you’re needed. Given your tactics I can’t be too, eager to send you into possible death.” Reyes took a drink and you definitely did not watch him do it. You were thinking about possible death. And risk. And waiting.

“Doc’ll be happy to hear about that. So will Winston now that I think about it. He gets so nervous when Lena leaves.” You wondered if you couldn’t put more time into hanging out with Winston. It would be good for both of you. He was a great friend. Maybe you could actually help him with something? You helped Moira often enough to know your way around a lab.

“Thanks, by the way. For everything. Even if I end up blowing up somehow.” You shrugged. “Never would’ve ended up this well without your help.”

“You’re more capable than you think you are.” Reyes just kept watching you. You raise an eyebrow at him, waiting for one of you to break the silence. You’re actually waiting for the inevitable pun that you just know is brewing somewhere in there. Somewhere between all of the stress and the strategy there’s a constantly churning horrible pun generator. You don’t know how much mental energy it takes to torment the people around you like that but he clearly has just enough to keep it going. What a treasure.

But he doesn’t say anything. You fall into silence again and it’s still comfortable. Peaceful. Almost makes you wish that you had a movie going. It had been weeks since the last time you and Reyes had hung out with whatever take out he brought in and watched a movie together. Probably because you were spending more time with other people. Branching out. Winston, Lena, Genji. Not co-workers but friends. Didn’t make Reyes any less your friend as well. You wanted that time with him. Just the two of you and whatever movie you could find in less than a minute. If you waited longer than that one of you would start annoying the other. And given how fast you crumpled under puns it was a war Reyes usually won.

You let your thoughts fade into the background as soon as you got food in front of you. Everyone needs priorities in life and your priorities involved food. Delicious, delicious food. This place was awesome. You would have to ask Reyes to bring you here again. Just because you knew how to drive didn’t mean you were incredibly excited to drive in the busy streets surrounding a massive military headquarters.

“Hey Boss, want to catch a movie after this? Genji and McCree probably won’t be in the rec room so we could use the screens in there. Unless you really want to steal my favorite quilt mid-movie, then I guess we could watch something in my room.” Fucking Reyes and his quilt stealing ways. How was he even cold you were in the room.

Reyes finished up the last bites of his plate before letting the thoughtful look leave his face. His smile was softer, held back even. He shook his head and sighed.

“I would love to steal the blankets that you don’t even need you greedy firestarter, but I have an early meeting in the morning. Maybe afterward, if you aren’t busy with Winston.” There was something in his voice that you couldn’t quite place. Just didn’t know enough about reading people yet you suppose.

“Sounds good Boss. Thanks for the food. You’ll have to bring me here again, it was great.”

“I’d love to bring you here again, Agent.” The ride back to base was quiet. Just to two of you breathing together. Before you knew it you fell asleep, lulled by the warmth of a good friend and good food. You awoke in your room, blanket tucked around you, and a bottle of water sitting on your dresser.


	16. Flint and Tinder

“So it’s the land of no bears.” You remark between handfuls of chocolate drizzled popcorn. 

“What if we brought a bear there?” Lena asked. You could barely see her curled up on a chair from where you were splayed out on the ground with a few of the couch cushions. At one point you had been on the couch but things change. Life is nothing but change. And sometimes that means you end up on the floor with fancy popcorn.

“Then it would be either the land of one bear or the land of lying about bear quantities.” You said. You were getting thirsty from all of the popcorn but your water was so, so far away.

“What would that be Winston?” Lena twisted in her chair to look at him at his work table.

“Hmmm…Psémata means lies…” Winston muttered as he tinkered with his project. Neither you or Lena had been able to pry him away from it all day, despite your threats to eat all of his peanut butter. He let you attempt it but you made it through a quarter of a jar before feeling regret. It’s too strong for you.

“Psématarctic, yeah?” You asked, getting only a noncommittal noise from your friend. You pushed yourself into a sitting position and shook your head at Lena.

“We’re going to need drastic measures, Oxton. Nothing will stop him from his work. Nothing, except-”

“No Smokes, it’s too drastic!” Lena gasped. You stood up and grabbed her shoulders.

“But we must. For our friend’s health and safety.”

“I’ll be done in a few hours.” Winston interjected. But it was too late, you had a plan and you were sticking to it. There was a mission to run.

“Quick, to the kitchens!” The two of you raced out of the lab, listening to a quiet ‘wait what are you doing’ echo after you. Overwatch still stunned you with how fucking huge it was. The kitchens alone were a massive food court like system big enough for not just the agents but all members. You could get lost in this room. But you could get lost in the entire facility. It was easier to order what you wanted and have it delivered to base than risk trying to get it yourself and never finding your way back. You only really leave when one of your friends want you to go with them. Or when Winston really wants something that he can’t get delivered. You’ll leave on your own for him, as long as he can find and guide you back to his lab.

His lab was the only place you really went when you left your designated wing. And you went there often. Between Winston and Moira you spent most of your time in a lab. You could always become a lab assistant if the field agent thing stopped working out. You know what beakers looked like. You know syringe sizes. You know how to properly lock down an experiment room to keep contaminants from ruining the results. Mostly you knew how to sit on a metal table but you know. Resume building.

You made a beeline for the dessert area. A lot of agents seem to be part of the ‘ice cream is breakfast’ club, which it was and you would fight someone over it. So many people. Most of them with no idea who you were or what you could do. You were a face in the crowd. Couldn’t tell if you were a stranger who didn’t need to be noticed or a fellow soldier who didn’t need to be stared at.

“Hey get we get a large peanut butter sundae-” “and a cookies and cream one!” “two cookies and cream ones please.”

“Hello, good to see you out and about.” Ana appeared beside you, her normal all knowing smile   
on her face. And she did not startle you. You were not startled. There was no startling happening here.

“Hard to find my way here without Lena’s help.” You admitted. “This place is huge.”

Ana laughed. “It is. Don’t worry, you’ll learn the landmarks soon enough. That being said, you need to go see Commander Reyes, if you would.”

“Yeah, Um. Want a sundae?” You motioned to the dessert counter. Ana gave you a little nod and you excused yourself from Lena. She could carry on the banner of keeping Winston distracted for now. You’ll be able to help when you get back from your mission. Or, perhaps just from joining Reyes at meetings. He hasn’t asked you to join him lately but who knows. He doesn’t look pleased when you walk into his office. His eyes flick towards you and back down at his screen. Reyes’ forehead crinkles with a trace of frustration before easing with a deep, long breath.

“Everything okay Boss?” You asked, sliding into one of the chairs. You leaned forward to rest your elbows on his desk. He looked tired.

“I’m, fine.” Reyes glanced at you, taking you in. “I have a mission for you.”

He tapped on his screen, the holodesk projecting the information you needed to see. “This is the compound of a weapons manufacturer that we know is selling guns on the black market. Their tech is getting better which means we’re about to see some very dangerous guns in the hands of our enemies. I need more time to gather the evidence Morrison needs to push in with the troops. This is is their research building. Destroying it wouldn’t stop them but it would delay them, hopefully long enough for me to get what I need.”

“What’s surrounding it?” You asked, reaching out to enlarge the picture.

“A mix of industrial and office space. Not a neighborhood known for pedestrians. The building itself is in the middle of its own fenced in yard, shouldn’t cause too much destruction.” Reyes spoke as you flicked through the pictures. You would need to do this from a vehicle then. Which was, fine. Not your most preferred method of travel and cars felt like a giant tracking beacon to you. You couldn’t slip into an alleyway or through someone’s window in a car. Well, you could. But that was as far from incognito as you could get.

“Security?”

“In the fence, yes. But there’s a sandwich place across the street. You shouldn’t attract any attention that way. Our plane will take you out in the morning, you’ll be supplied with a vehicle. Get some sleep tonight.” Reyes pulled up a map and a picture of the shop for you to look through. He paced as you examined it, shoulders tense and hands clenching unclenching. You watched him for a moment before checking your debriefing folder on your tablet. He must need this done badly. You would handle it.

“Alright. I’m going to drive to the restaurant, eat and set something on fire. Understood.” You rose, pausing to look at him. “Any other orders, Boss?”

“Come back alive.” He was frowning at the screen. It sucked to be at the top. Maybe you would get ahold of his schedule and plan a spa day for him or something. Or you would just set his desk on fire ‘accidentally’ so he would have to take the time off to replace it. He set his own schedule it would probably have to be the latter. Not that he would believe it was an accident but still, it’s the thought that counts.

Your first mission. It was clearly something that bothered him and yet, you were so excited. All that training and you were going to see an outcome. Hopefully it would go well. You just had to set something on fire without anyone noticing. It couldn’t be the middle of the night, that would look strange. So you were going to be, sitting in a restaurant, in broad daylight, using your weird ass fire powers to commit industrial arson. Sounds good. Sounds fine. Sounds normal.

You caught sight of Moira in her lab as you passed by. The only friend you had who would work harder if you set her desk on fire. Probably break out the equipment and measure the temperature or something. Rate of burning. Who knows. Whatever made her happy.

“Hey, Moira? Just wanted to let you know I have a mission in the morning. Didn’t want to take off without saying anything.” You leaned into the lab, catching sight of your friend bent over a microscope. She patiently finished the note she was writing before standing up straight and looking at you with a small frown.

“I see. Well, you’ve certainly got enough training for whatever you’re working on. I suppose I can’t argue to keep you out of the field.” Moira crossed her arms and looked you over. Her expression was mostly calm, measured. Calculating the likelihood of your return after all. She beckoned you closer and gently prodded at you, snagging a thermometer as she circled. You let her fuss. If it would give her peace of mind while you ate a sandwich and barbequed a building then it was fine. Just a few minutes of prodding and notes and a blood draw. It was nice to be fussed over. Made you feel safe, cared for. Regardless of what happened Moira’s lab would be a safe place to come back to. Hide in. The thought would have made you smile if you weren’t getting poked.

“I want to see you as soon as you return. I need to compare measurements.” Moira immediately turned back to her microscope.

“Oh of course. I’ll probably need to see you given my general luck.” You shrugged. Your first post-mission medical treatment. You’re sure that will go even better than the mission.

“You’ll perform your mission perfectly. My work does not result in failures.” Her tone was clear. There was no doubt or concern. There was displeasure that you were being put at risk, but none of that was on you. She was confident you’d return. Moira wasn’t a warm and fuzzy person. She was clinical and clean, everything was logic and science. It was soothing in its own way. There was no room for silly things.

“Good point. I’ll see you when I get back then.” You held back a thank you. It would be weird. Maybe you’d scribble it on the back of a birthday card for her or something. In really small writing, clustered near the barcode so she wouldn’t notice it. 

“Yes, you will.”


	17. Wisps of Smoke

You’ve lived in this city.

‘Lived’

You can say that about a lot of cities really. It was a lost cause trying to count all the places you’d ever been; it wasn’t a good idea to stay still. There was always a fire and you always had to run. Still, you memorized enough cities. Their alleyways. Their dark corners. The best places to sleep where you wouldn’t be noticed. You’d been here before, not long enough to have any real memories of the place, not long enough to set anything on fire. But long enough that you had a general idea of where you were.

You probably should have told Reyes before you’d left. He probably knew, probably had a roadmap of every city you’d ever slept in. Found you through security camera footage and police reports of someone matching your description fleeing the scene of a fire. A trail of ash and soot staining its way across the countryside. Easy to track in hindsight. Didn’t feel like it when you were walking the path. Being an anonymous nobody is easier than it sounds, even for someone like you.

It felt so different going by car. Being out in the open streets and not sticking to the lesser traveled roads. No looping your path to avoid police or people who looked too hard. Just straight forward, straight to your destination. Conspicuous. Inconspicuous. Strange.

No one looks at you as you drive through the streets. As you turn the corners approaching your target. As you pull into the tiny sandwich shop parking lot, narrowly avoiding the other cars. It was so close together. It was quiet. Quiet and peaceful in a way you didn’t paint this city to be. It was, not a bad place. Safer than some other cities. Plenty of dry little cutaways one could curl into for a quick cat nap. Plenty of places to get a bite to eat, stolen or otherwise. But it wasn’t a quiet place. There was always noise, always the sound of cars, of cops, of footsteps. Always the sound of an animal nearby. Birds. Bats. Bugs. Noise. If you stood still and listened you could hear it now but it was, distant. It felt distant.

You slid into the sandwich shop. It was a small business, tiny. There were a few people sitting inside so you didn’t think you’d stand out too much if you sat there to eat. You could eat in the car but you didn’t want to get anything on the seats or leave trash lying around. Could you even be written up for staining a car on a covert mission? Possibly. Then again you could blame it on McCree.

Corner table, settled in with food and phone. An ideal scenario. You idly flipped through the apps on your burner phone. It was loaded with nonsense; a lot of fake profiles and fake friends and game saves. Emails and contacts. Enough that, should you lose it, it looked real. It was sort of interesting looking through the fake life embedded in the phone. A little look at what a normal life could be. Boring, probably. Out of reach? Definitely.

You couldn’t procrastinate forever. Especially not with food around. You concentrated on the building, pushing as far into it as you could. You weren’t sure where the fire would start exactly. Near wires would be ideal. An electrical outlet, inside a wall. Whatever could plausibly be an accident. Not that anyone would find anything if they did think it was arson. Which it was, but. They wouldn’t put the puzzle together exactly.

It was easier than you expected it to be. Starting a fire where you couldn’t see and guiding it to grow while a high tech suit kept you from overheating wasn’t a walk in the park but it still didn’t seem, hard. There was no one looking at you. No one. No one was stopping you or shooting at you or trying to fight you. It was you, sitting in a chair, eating a sandwich, playing tetris on your phone. Easy peasy. It took a whole sandwich, a bag of chips and a cookie before the fire began to show visibly. The workers were spilling out into the street, watching fire reach out the windows in bright orange ribbons.

Should it be so easy? Destroying an entire building? If you had gone faster, people would have died, and it would have been slightly less easy but easy nonetheless. Shouldn’t this sort of destruction require some sort of, of something more than you put in? An army, a team, a… a weapon?

You were in your car before the phones came out and the crowd began to gather to watch. Pushed the fires up a little higher, drove them a little more before you were too far out of range. That was good enough. There would be no saving the building from a fire that big. Everything inside should be pretty much gone. Bringing the building down with it was just a plus. You should probably leave before the sirens came. There was no need to hang around.

A small temptation nagged at you as you climbed into the driver’s seat. You could leave. Really leave. This was your first time off base alone since you were arrested and taken into custody. You could go. Disappear. Drive until you ran out of gas and then just. Hide. Constantly move again. This time with control. You wouldn’t have to worry about your own fires chasing you out of a place. And with Winston’s suit, you wouldn’t have to worry about getting sick. But you would miss Winston. Lena. Genji. Moira. Reyes. You didn’t want to leave them. You wanted them in your life. Treasured their presences. A normal life wasn’t worth losing the friends you’d gathered up. But that didn’t stop the temptation from creeping through your skin. Even as you turned the corner towards the rendezvous, switching vehicles and heading for the private airport where the Blackwatch jet waited for you.

Part of you wanted to run. Part of you was afraid. Afraid of what would happen when it all came crashing down. Afraid of having made a mistake. Of coming back only to be sent away again. Not imprisoned just. Sent away. It somehow carried more weight, more anxiety. You would rather be locked up than discarded.

You wordlessly boarded the plane, settling into your seat and closing your eyes. You were safe. Going to a safe place. Going somewhere you belonged. Because you did belong there. You and your strange little group of strange people. Maybe you should use one of the communicators on board to call headquarters. Would they see that as a concern? That you weren’t ready for field missions?

The plane set down a few times, mimicking a standard flight. Going out of its way to avoid seeming too strange. You didn't open your eyes for any of them. Just sat still and thought about things while you listened to the metallic footsteps walk into the jet and sit down next to you during one of the stops.

“Did you think about leaving?” Genji asked you.

“Did you?”

“I did leave. Came back a week later.” He replied. When you opened your eyes his were closed. There was blood on his prosthetics that clearly wasn’t his. He tapped his hand on the arm of his seat, fidgeting.

“Why?” You looked up at the ceiling of the plane.

“Where else would I go.” Genji grumbled. “Where else would you go.”

You didn’t have an answer. He knew you didn’t. He was grumpy and tired and not in the business of being soft and cuddly. At least you weren’t the only one who thought about running though. At least you didn’t actually run.

“There’s nowhere people like us could go. So we’re here.” 

He was right. But it wasn’t such a bad place to be. There was camaraderie and comfort. Plenty of medical care, food, good pay. Friends. Friends that understood that urge to run when you had the chance. Friends that understood there really wasn’t a chance. You looked at the vague crinkle of pain in his forehead.

“If someone needs to burn,” You said, turning away. “Say the word.”

Genji didn’t say anything. The two of you sat with only the muffled sound of the engines to break the silence. The only thing the two of you could really offer each other was the promise of violence. It wasn’t the best. But it was better than nothing. At least you were sitting side by side in a jet taking you back to your jobs as covert operatives. Maybe later, maybe when you’d both grown a little stronger, you could do something more. 

Maybe.


	18. Home Safe

You woke up to a soft chuckling and the strong smell of a permanent marker. Slowly you opened your eyes to Reyes crouched in front of you, holding a pen towards your face. You stared at him, quietly, with an expression on your face that asked if what he was doing was worth being set on fire. He just kept smiling, shoving his capped pen back in his pocket.

“Welcome back, hot stuff.” Reyes stood up and took your hand to pull you from your seat. “Ready for a debriefing?”

“Yeah Boss. Ready to tell me what you were going to do with that marker?” You tried to fake a glare but you were too sleepy for that. Instead, you smiled back and almost lazily followed him off the plane. Genji was apparently long gone. Which was fine, not like you were going to get into any trouble in Blackwatch’s hangar save for Reyes and his pens. 

He certainly seemed happier. Lighter. You and Genji must have taken care of whatever was bothering him. Hopefully? Or it was coincidentally gone. His shoulders were relaxed, his pace was slow, his eyes bright and shining. Back to his usual self. Which also meant that you were about to endure the world’s most painful presentation. There was nothing you could do to avoid any puns either. They were coming whether you liked them or not. You could only hope to weather the storm.

“Want some coffee first?” Reyes asked, watching you try to fight another yawn.

You shook your head. “Just… really tired.”

He frowned and pressed the back of his hand to your forehead as soon as you entered his office. You weren’t warm, you knew you weren’t. Just sleepy. Maybe hungry? But more sleepy than hungry.

“I’m going to need you to see Moira right after we’re done. Maybe I should send you now.” He leaned towards you, smile dipping back into a frown as you examined your face. You shook your head. That wasn’t good. You lightly smacked your hands on either side of his face and gently squeezed. 

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll go see her after we chit-chat.” You muttered, enjoying the surprised look on his face. You didn’t think it was possible to surprise him. His facial hair felt nice against your hands too. Oh, wait it was getting weird. Not nice, weird. You dropped your hands as nonchalantly as you could and plopped yourself into one of his desk chairs. You most certainly didn’t enjoy touching your boss’s face that was strange.

“Hmm. Right after.” Reyes said slowly, eyes not leaving your face as he stepped around to his chair. You wished you could read him. Maybe you could if you ever tried hard enough. You looked up to scan his face, taking in his small smile, relaxed gaze. 

“Tell me everything, from the moment you stepped off the plane.” He picked up a tablet and gave you a short nod. You watched him as you spoke, curious. Searching for signs of pride and approval. Searching for, you’re not sure. Whatever else there is to find. His eyes didn’t leave yours, and you noticed the corners crinkled every time you stopped talking to yawn. His fingers danced over the desk service. Not impatient but fidgety. Restrained maybe. You didn’t mind if he was fidgety but maybe it was a professionalism thing.

“You did well. Gave Overwatch enough time to light a fire under some asses.” Reyes laughed at your exhausted groan. He reached out and gave the back of your hand a small pat. Well, more of a lingering… He moved his hand back and then he wasn’t looking directly at you anymore. 

“I’ll let Morrison know to get his teams out on the case as quickly as possible. We’ve got time but we shouldn’t drag our feet. You go to Moira, make sure you’re okay before you go to your room.” He stood up too quickly, too nervously. You were confused but, so damn tired. Maybe you were just tired and he was still fine. Hopefully, Moira would let you nap while she stabbed you with needles. Or whatever she wanted to do now that you were back.

“Hmm… Wanna watch a -” You yawned. “Movie later? If I’m awake. Maybe tomorrow if I’m not…”

“Maybe tomorrow, you need some rest.” He was right. You were still pretty tired.

“Sounds good Boss.”

You wouldn’t have minded having him with you. Falling asleep on his shoulder. You could do that tomorrow, there was no need to think about it now. But you were. Like an annoying grease fire that was so damn hard to put out. It kept flickering back to life. A warm haze in the back of your mind that kept whispering and whispering and…

You were just going to ignore it. Like you ignored a lot of things that made you uncomfortable. Like math. Weirdly squishy fruits. Anything that had the consistency of jello. Nothing should be that wiggly and juicy at the same time. How can it produce juice and still be solid. What was happening there. Although, if you were ever going to be honest with yourself, you would probably eat jello before examining your feelings in any way. That sort of thing was for other people. More adjusted people.

“Hey, ya made it back.” McCree appeared behind you, patting your shoulder. “You don’t look too beat up either.”

“I mean. I ate a sandwich while lighting something on fire. Not really high stakes.” You shrugged. It wasn’t the most difficult mission in the world. Could have been a lot worse. You were expecting to get shot at. Chased. Maybe even arrested. That would have been an interesting situation for your boss to get you out of. You didn’t think Reyes would leave you in police custody. Morrison? Maybe. Reyes? No. He was dependable. He had your back.

“Yeah I guess. Still worried about ya though. Your first job n’ all.” McCree peered at you. What he was looking for or what he found was anyone’s guess. You didn’t care too much. That nap was sounding better and better.

“I’m fine. Just sleepy. Going to see Moira before I go to bed.” You yawned, rubbing your eyes.

“Are you sure you don’t want to see-” McCree stopped as you glared at him. Now was not the time. You weren’t even a little bit injured and even if you were Moira would care for you just fine. Whatever issue existed between them didn’t matter; it was just McCree. Reyes liked him but that didn’t mean you had to. You stepped around him, doing everything in your power to not stomp away. You were an adult after all. You didn’t stomp away from people.

“Hey… Hey wait I-- Damn hothead.” McCree muttered behind you.

You felt a wave of both relief and exhaustion as you crossed into Moira’s lab. What did McCree have against her? She was Blackwatch’s primary field medic, even if she didn’t like going into the field. If anything her presence was a really good thing. So she was also a geneticist and was looking into… well, you. But that was also her job. If it weren’t for her none of this would have happened. You smiled when you saw her, calmly sitting down on one of her examination tables.

“Hey. Guess who didn’t die?” You said.

“As I assumed.” Moira walked over to you, quickly fetching her equipment. “I want to know everything.”

“Yeah so, it was easy. Like, I mean. I’m sleepy now, but it didn’t really… feel bad.” You explained as she poked, prodded, and scribbled her way through the conversation.

“Good. It means that we’ve made some headway. I’m certain that suit alleviates most of what you experience. It took a bit long though, I’ll see what we can do about starting bigger fires quicker.” Moira spoke while she worked, steady hands arranging materials and samples.

“Would that make me heat up faster?”

“Not if I make the right adjustments.” Moira smiled and wiggled one of your blood samples at you. “Fear not, you’re in the right hands. I’ll devise a strategy to eradicate any flaws that stop you from getting stronger.”

“I…Well. Sounds good. I’m game for gaining more control of my powers.” You shrugged. She was just dramatic is all. Who in Blackwatch couldn’t be called dramatic. It was a little ironic for a group of black ops soldiers. Yes, it’s a secret. And yes, it’s a little illegal. But you know what? It’s sure fucking fantastic.


	19. What's a little stabbing between friends?

Missions didn’t magically increase when you proved that you could eat a sandwich without dying. Reyes needed things set on fire, just not that frequently. Most of your time was still divided between training and dramatically laying around someone’s offices. You could say that you were spending quality time with friends but that was just the side attraction to the joys of dramatic laying around.

Unless Genji found you not doing something.

Genji finding you without a task usually meant Genji taking you to spar. Genji taking you to spar meant Genji kicking your ass. You weren’t bad at hand to hand. You were better at hand to hand than you were at armed combat. Your pistol aim was decent but you preferred a fiery fist. Still, Genji has years and years of experience on you. Years of experience that he seems determined to transfer via repeatedly hitting it into you. You aren’t going to lie, it is beneficial. You’re a lot more aware of your blind spots and weaknesses. Eventually, he’s going to beat those weaknesses out of you with his damn cyborg fists.

You pushed yourself up from the ground, trying to resist the urge to dust yourself off or rub away a bruise. Genji was not going to give you the time to mess around. Instead, you threw yourself to the side, narrowly avoiding Genji lunging towards you. He held himself back for all of the strength he threw at you. Fast enough to make things difficult but just slow enough you could follow what was happening, slow enough that you knew why you got hit and what mistake you made. He was an excellent teacher if not a particularly vicious one. 

“Nice dodge Smokes!” Lena called from the sidelines, nursing her own bruised form. Watching her and Genji fight didn’t really teach you much. Only that Genji was definitely way faster than you could ever keep up with. The light punch you landed on his shoulder was the best victory you could hope for. Genji seemed to take it as a motion to increase the intensity. 

He was so fucking fast.

You couldn’t track him. Not even a little bit. It was a clearly losing battle to even block the strongest of his hits from slamming into you. So you tried to control the flow of battle. It was all you could think. Small trails of flame erupted on the ground around you. None of them big enough to cause harm but enough to slow him down. It worked for a second. Just enough of a surprise factor to recover some ground. He paused, and you could swear he was smiling at you. And then he drew his sword. And you sort of felt some degree of regret. A significant degree of regret. 

The first solution would be to increase the size of the flames. Which, also wasn’t an option at all. You could hurt him. You had enough control to do your job but you didn’t think you had enough control to use your powers in a friendly spar. You focused on the flames, on pushing them away, keeping them from getting too close to Genji. He didn’t seem as worried. His focus was on getting close to you. Even at your best you couldn’t stop him. Your attempts to dodge his swipes were fairly good. Your ability to control fires while moving was definitely better than before. Small improvements with a noticeable difference. Didn’t stop you from getting stabbed but hey, gotta stay on the bright side when your friend fucking stabs you with his fucking sword.

“Hey Genji. I’m kinda close to actually setting you on fire.” You muttered around Lena’s frantic panicking. Genji carefully lifted you from the ground and ran you out of the training area.

“I thought you would dodge.” He replied, kicking in Moira’s door to her empty lab. Which was really just the best time for her to be off at a meeting or doing who knows what. Excellent. Next time you’ll verify her location before you train with stabby stab man. It wasn’t that even made of a stab if you were being honest with yourself, he barely cut into you. The carrying was unnecessary. Well, not really. It was necessary because he did, in fact, stab you, and you would have set him on fire otherwise.

“Yeah, no I can’t dodge swords.” You held onto the gauze keeping more of your blood from seeping out. Genji took you out of Blackwatch and into the general area, straight towards medical.

“Wait I can probably hold on for Moira she’ll be back soon-”

“I’m going to stab you again.” Genji threatened, weaving through the concerned patrons of the medical bay, straight into what looked like the main office. A tall blonde woman calmly watched him deposit you onto an examination bed.

“What happened here?” The woman asked, immediately pulling on a pair of gloves.

“Pushed Arson too hard in training.” He answered. “Arson, this is Dr. Ziegler.”

Oh. That. Well, what a fucking coincidence. If your friends were to be believed You threw a glare at Genji while Dr. Ziegler grabbed her supplies. You did not particularly want to be there. You did not, particularly, want her to be working on you. You also did not want to bleed out so there wasn’t much you could do about the situation.

“It’s nice to meet you Agent. I’ve heard a lot about you.” The doctor peeled your clothing away from your wound. “Dr. O’Deorain in particular speaks rather highly of you.”

“Oh… she does?” You didn’t think she spoke of you at all, unless to Reyes.

“Not too much. She’s rather protective of her work. I’m surprised she let you out here.” The Doctor laid you back and got to work stitching you back up. Genji hovered just out the door, not exactly watching but also not leaving the two of you alone. You wouldn’t actually set her on fire. Not on purpose, anyway. Or maybe he was just trying to keep you from bolting back towards Blackwatch. You would like to. But after you weren’t bleeding everywhere first. The pain was starting to hit you to and that was just, just great.

“There, all done. You’re an excellent patient.” Dr. Ziegler smiled at you.

“Thanks, I guess I’m used to it.” You tried to smile back. Tried. It was more of an awkward wince and you knew it. It was enough that Dr. Ziegler opened a medicine cabinet and began to measure out a pain medication.

“Well, I’m glad those days are past you.” She said softly, a flicker of something gentle in her eyes. Worry probably. She seemed the type. 

“Here, this should fix your pain. Both of you be a little more careful when training please.” Dr. Ziegler frowned Genji’s way. He didn’t meet her eyes, just shrugged from his spot in the doorway. He seemed… quieter. Comfortable maybe.

“I’m going to revoke your field clearance until you’re healed. Moira can return it to you when she thinks you’re ready. You should spend the rest of the day in bed. Would you like to stay here? Medical can care for you.” Dr. Ziegler touched your arm with the sweetest look. You smiled back, accepting that you had lost your long held out battle to avoid this woman. Okay. She was nice. You understood this. You would still prefer to continue seeing Moira though. Moira knew you. She had your entire genetic profile written down. You were safe with her.

“That’s okay, I have movie night planned.” You regrettably pushed yourself off the bed, pain shooting up your side as you did. Genji shook his head and pulled your arm over his shoulders. 

Dr. Ziegler’s smile seemed to brighten. “That’s good. Here, let me give you my personal line, if you need some help.”

Genji took your phone and gave it to Dr. Ziegler despite the slightly dirty look you sent his way. When did he even get that. When was he going to teach you to pick-pocket. That was a far more valuable skill than getting stabbed.

“Here you go. I’m not sure if it’s my place but, I’m glad to see you’ve made a friend, Genji.” Dr. Ziegler said softly as she returned your phone. You immediately grinned.

“I mean he did but he made a horrible choice. It’s like he’s eating a vegetable but it’s cheese covered french fries. I’m the cheese covered french fries of healthy vegetable friends.” You joked. The doctor chuckled, her laugh almost covered the soft snort you heard next to you. Genji carefully guided you out of the medical bay, almost holding all of your weight on his own. 

“You are a good friend, Smokes. I’m sorry I stabbed you.” Genji spoke as you passed into the safety of Blackwatch’s halls.

“It’s fine, you’re one of my best friends you’re entitled to one free stabbing. Just don’t tell McCree you got me to see Dr. Ziegler. He’d never let me live it down.” You would have to avoid him while you were on technical medical leave. The solution was simple, more time with Lena and Winston. 

“Also don’t stab me again. Please.”

“I’ll see what I can do.” He paused near your dorm room, shuffling your weight off his shoulder so you could get in there on your own. “Who are you watching a movie with?”

“Reyes?” You said, opening the door and stumbling in.

“Don’t tell him I stabbed you.”

“I’m telling him. I’m going to make a graphic for it and everything. Maybe over a sunset. Or an ocean view. Something classy like that. What’s the font they use for the motivational posters?” You leaned on your dresser, pulling out clean clothes. It was rare that you heard Genji laugh at all, forget twice in one day. He must enjoy going to see Dr. Ziegler.

“I’ll see you tomorrow. Have fun with the commander.” Genji waved and disappeared out of your doorframe. You chuckled. Oh sure. Explaining how you were suddenly not cleared for the field was going to be so, so very fun. Sorry boss, just got a little stabbed, so you feeling up for some sci fi horror or nah.


	20. Realizations and Painkillers

“Hey, are you okay? You were bleeding a lot!” Lena had texted you while you were in Medbay. A lot. You could scroll for some time and not find the bottom. You didn’t blame her, you would also be upset if you saw her get stabbed. If any of your friends got stabbed. If anyone got stabbed. Who went around wanting to see people get a knife in them. Or a sword. Or, anything really. If someone’s determined enough.

You fully intended to change your clothes and immediately head over to the rec room. You could reply to texts when you were waiting for Reyes. But by the time you had managed to pull off your dirty clothing and replace it you were hit by how exhausted your body really was. You didn’t think you could force yourself up from your bed, forget walk down the hall to the rec room. Now that you think about it you should have just stood in the medical bay. Getting back would require swallowing your pride. Not that you had a whole bunch of pride, for the most part you were careful enough to keep your pride levels to a minimum. Who would be the least likely to make fun of you for needing to go back to Ziegler? Lena maybe. But she couldn’t get into Blackwatch’s halls. 

You sighed. Maybe you’ll stick to sparring with the training bots for a while.

Somewhere in the middle of debating the pros and cons of directly messaging medbay you fell asleep. It wasn’t the best sleep you’ve ever had, it was uncomfortable and patchy and when you woke up your head was stuffed with sticky cotton and you were thirsty in a way that made you taste your own bad breath. Next to your bed was a bottle of water and another smaller bottle of pain meds. Sitting in the chair next to your bed was Reyes, sitting in his usual chair and staring at his phone.

“Hey.” Your words felt thick in your throat. You didn’t even see him put his phone down, you just blinked and Reyes was helping you sit up. His hands felt cool on your skin. It was nice. You gulped down the pain meds, almost more relieved for the sweet water than you were for the dull thudding pain to stop. This is why you didn’t take naps. Your mouth felt gross, your head felt gross, everything was weird. 

You must have been asleep for a while. Long enough for Reyes to come looking for you. Or maybe he came to talk to you after seeing your field clearance revoked. You should have called him yourself. But no, someone had to take a gross nap instead of letting Reyes know you wouldn’t be available for missions. Who knew how many texts from Lena and Winston were waiting for you on your phone after you fell asleep on them. You would check after Reyes left. Especially since he had gone through the effort to bring you what you needed.

“So I’m guessing someone told on me.” You smiled, holding yourself up while he pulled your pillows into a pile behind you.

“Genji came directly to me and told me what happened. You’re both in trouble.” Reyes leaned you back, putting more water into your hand. He wasn’t angry, you could tell that much. You drank this bottle a little slower.

“Sorry, Boss. I shouldn't have pushed so hard today. If there’s still missions that have to get done, I mean. I’m sure Moira would re-establish my clearance. I don’t want to let you down.” You actually weren’t sure Moira would ever give you your clearance ever again. You could get temporary clearance though, if you were convincing enough. 

“You’re not letting me- Listen pepper, everyone gets hurt training. I have a lot of stories I could tell you about things Morrison did that put him in the medbay for months. I just don’t want to see you hurting. You’re a good agent, it was getting vacation time anyway.” Reyes took your hand, gently squeezing it. His hand was cool compared to your own. Still plenty warm, plenty comforting. You squeezed back and then grinned.

“Ya gonna tell me those Morrison stories or no.”

Reyes laughed. “Oh of course I am. Like I would keep something that good from you. And speaking of good, I ordered some food. It’ll be here soon.”

“We’re still on for a movie?” You asked, enjoying the way his face glowed when he laughed. It was pretty great.

“Yeah. If I canceled every movie because someone got stabbed I’d never get to do anything fun. I pick what we’re watching though.” He turned on your holoscreen, flipping through the movie selections. You didn’t realize he was still holding your hand until a knock at the door made him finally let you go. You resisted the urge to look down at your hand. It felt strangely empty without his. Which meant nothing. It definitely meant. Nothing. 

Your wound was easier to deal with than the new thoughts trickling into your mind. Thoughts of how nice Reyes’ looked when he smiled. And how silly he was, with his constant stream of horrible jokes. And how gentle he was. And brave. And smart. And no.

No.

Nope.

You did not. That would.

No, you’re okay. You’re good. You have tons to deal with that are Not That. Like your powers. And currently being more stabbed than usual. You have a surplus of being stabbed currently and that’s going to take up all of your time. Zero time for other things. Especially certain things. That most certainly, do not exist. At all.

Reyes didn’t seem to notice your confusion when he sat back down. He just handed you your food and started the movie. It was supposed to be a casual hangout session, just the two of you mindless staring at a screen together, and now it was… Now it was a question. Heavy and large and completely unavoidable given his proximity. The food was delicious though. Enough to give you a few seconds of sweet reprieve before it was gone and your mind started racing again. You didn’t even know what the movie was about. Was it fantasy? Horror? Science fiction? Only Reyes knows. 

“So then, Morrison tried to vault over the wall, despite knowing that his leg was still healing from the day before. Well it was slippery from the rain and he didn’t get a good grip and not only did he re-break his leg but he ripped his pants all the way up the side. We called him Breakaway for months after that.” Oh fuck he was talking to you. About embarrassing Morrison stuff too. Who knew what other good stuff you missed. What other wonderful things you could bring up after awkward board meetings. Being annoyed with you must be better than being overwhelmed with stress.

“You okay?” Reyes leaned closer to you, his hand reaching to test the temperature of your face. “Should I call Moira? She should be back.”

You resisted the urge to jerk away from his hand. You wanted the comfort more than you wanted to avoid the thoughts starting to bubble up. “No, I’m just, you know. Pain meds.”

Reyes didn’t seem to believe you, but he didn’t move to call her. Or Dr. Ziegler. You hoped this wasn’t the start of a shining new era of you being treated in the medical bay. It wasn’t that you didn’t like Dr. Ziegler, she seemed nice enough, but Moira was your best friend. You had met her rabbit. You’ve even pet her rabbit. You and her rabbit have spent hours hanging out watching her work together. Actually, the rabbit was probably also your best friend. Like Reyes was. And would probably always be. Which was good and fine and you definitely weren’t watching him out of the corner of your eye.

The way he smiled suddenly and produced another box out of the take out bag. The way he chuckled at your excitement over dessert. Which was fucking exciting. It did absolutely nothing to quell your nerves but damn if it wasn’t delicious. There were few situations that couldn’t be solved with a nice fruit covered cake. Fresh fruit too, not the gel stuff that looked super similar to what Moira smeared on you during testing. There was a surprising amount of food that now fell into that category and you weren’t happy about any of it.

“Tell me more stories about Morrison.” You asked, grinning as he launched into another story. His voice was fucking amazing. Just like everything else. Which, again, was a fucking problem.

“Now, apparently, he had never jumped out of a plane before. Which I had thought was standard training but not for whatever unit this guy came out of.” Reyes leaned against your bed, his arm barely brushing against your side. “He started screaming before his body even left the plane. Loud. You could hear him over the engines and that’s pretty impressive.”

You wanted to hold his hand. Which would be so inappropriate. And awkward. So you just leaned against him, resting your head on his shoulder while he murmured to you about Morrison’s encounter with the world’s angriest tiny crab, or the time Morrison discovered he was allergic to kiwis via a lush blanket of hives covering his body like moss. You liked that he didn’t seem to mind you leaning on him. You liked that he stood still even while you drifted off to sleep and left him to have a conversation with himself. But really, you just liked Reyes.


	21. Time Out

“If I set Genji’s hotels on fire do I get to pay base rent?” You lounged in Winston’s lab, sitting on a box, staring at a Monopoly board also laid out on a box. 

“If you set the board on fire you’ll be paying for a new one.” Genji muttered. You spent a few minutes pretending to contemplate the pros and cons of setting the board on fire before reluctantly handing Genji a few of your precious bills. Who knew his domination of the reds would be such a problem for you. Well. He probably knew. Damn.

“Well, the board is fireproofed but my boxes aren’t.” Winston rolled the dice. “Doubles again!”

“Either Winston is cheating or he’s destined to go back to jail.” You leaned closer to the board, watching him move his little hat around. “Come on one more space and yesss Winnssstoonnn paaayyy meeeee.”

“Did you have to put so many houses on these?”

“Paaay mmeee I just paaaid Gennjiiii.” You groaned, reaching out with a grabby hand. Your greens were your greatest victory, and you needed the cash to try to wrestle Lena out of the last yellow you needed for your grand corner monopoly. There was no way you could get between Genji and Winston for boardwalk or park place. The tension was thick. It would be a battle for the ages and you didn't need that sort of heat. Wait. Fucking...

Genji cursed under his breath as he hit a third pair of doubles, sending him to prison. A rival taken out by his own enthusiasm. The win was yours.

“You should choose better die rolls.” You joked, gleefully taking the dice from him.

“You should choose better loves.” He snorted, leaning back in the chair while he waiting for the dice to save him from his prison.

“Telling you was the biggest mistake I’ve ever made and I once set a library on fire.” You had to talk it out with someone but wow you probably shouldn’t have included Genji in the group. Could have been worse though. You loved Moira to death but telling her would have been Much Worse. You had the feeling she would instantly turn it into Social Experiment Time. Which would be bad. And awkward. At least Genji would keep it to the room.

“How’d you set the library on fire?” Lena grinned, setting a few more houses down on her oranges.

“They asked me for a library card and I panicked. Now that I think about it, there was more than one.” Getting nervous and setting places on fire was the general theme of your early life. Your current theme was probably ‘get bored and set things on fire’. Next up, perhaps it would be get angry. Or get confused. Perhaps even get sad. Who knew what the future would hold for your emotional health and fire creating. What a wonderful journey of discovery.

“Winston- Oh, you have guests.” Ana lingered at the doorway, smiling as she slowly looked over the three of you.

“Just playing one last game of Monopoly to tie the night together. We can call it done if you need us to go.” You offered. You were ahead by a couple hundred bucks after all. Now was an excellent time to end the game.

“No no, that won’t be necessary.” Ana answered. Damn. You were getting nervous about the way Genji was angling to offer the utilities for park place.

“I just wanted to make sure you were ready to leave in the morning, Winston?”

“Yes ma’am.” Winston gave a little salute. He looked so proud. Head Scientist at Watchpoint: Gibraltar sounded pretty good. It suited him. It also meant you would be going to Spain whenever you needed work done on your suit, and that was definitely a huge problem. You definitely didn’t want to go hang out in Spain for a week. Who would ever want to do that. If only he made his suit a little more delicate, you could justify going to see him more often.

“Good. Don’t worry about him, I’ll keep him safe.” Ana smiled, slowly meeting the eyes of everyone else at the table...box. You looked back with a confident nod. Of course Ana would be able to keep him safe. She was Ana. The only person you trusted more than her was Reyes and that was because you were Unfortunately Biased. Not that you wouldn’t trust him regardless he was a good man, a great leader. It was just, Ana was inherently imposing and could shoot your hair off your head if she was so inclined. If anyone could keep a base full of Overwatch agents safe and sound it would be her. 

“I trust ya ma’am.” Lena saluted. “Care to join us? I’m about to lose, could use the helping hand.”

“Straight to cheating are we Oxton? Tsk tsk.” You shook your head and pretended to sigh heavily.

“S’not cheating! Just askin’ for a little advice is all.” She protested.

“It’s a little cheating, but just a little. Thank you, but I’m joining Commander Morrison and Commander Reyes for a last minute meeting.” Ana said. Couldn’t spend enough time going over the little details, you suppose. Or Morrison was going to lay face first on the ground at the prospect of spreading his support network thin. Perhaps it was going to be both, Morrison was a master of multitasking.

“If we’re opening the doors for cheating this could get a lot more interesting. Genji could switch cards out, you could blink your way out of bad moves, I could get the board on fire-” You listed.

“Was I not supposed to be switching cards?” Genji looked up from his close examination of a community chest card. You’d like to think he was joking but nothing could be sacred in monopoly. Anything went in this lawless, heartless dark abyss of a game.

“Actually, I was hoping you might walk with me.” Ana got your attention, sending cold ice down your spine. At any other time that would be greatly appreciated. You loved ice. You would sleep in ice if you were allowed to. Your dream was to get enough money saved up to fill the overwatch pool with ice cubes and just dwell in it. The thought could bring tears to your eyes. Any tears now would be tears of very reasonable fear.

“Sounds good, I’m giving all my stuff to Lena because you two keep bullying her with your hotels” You shifted your piles over to a very thrilled Lena. You may have just turned her into a board game tyrant but again. Hotels.

You followed Ana out of the engineering wing, heading for the administrative section where the meetings were usually held. She was quiet at first. Contemplative. 

“Everything okay?” You asked.

“Of course. I just wanted to ask if you could keep an eye on Gabriel for me. He’s, dedicated. Someone needs to remind him to look after himself and stay out of danger.” Ana spoke softly as she walked. Eyes straight ahead, focused on the path in front of her, and yet you had the sense she could see every bit of your expression. 

“Uh… Sure. I’ll threaten him with burnt paperwork or something.” You joked. Sorta. You weren’t above threatening anyone with fire; you just didn’t think it would work with Reyes. He would probably make a pun and then you would die inside just a little bit more.

“I’m sure you can think of some other way to distract him without setting any fires.” Ana replied. For a horrifying second you feared that she knew. You knew she didn’t. You’d only told Genji, Winston, and Lena. Those three would certainly make fun of you for it from now until the end of time but none of them would betray your secrets like that. They were good people. Good friends.

“Just make sure he gets enough to drink. Water too, not just coffee. Both of those men think they can survive on caffeine alone.” She continued, listing off the concerns she had for her friends. You didn’t realize leaving them behind had been bothering her. 

“They’ll both be fine Ana. You can always call them when they least expect it. Threaten to get flown back to base whenever you think they’re staying up too late or not eating their carrots.” You grinned when she laughed. Success.

“Morrison hates carrots.” 

“What’s this about me and carrots?” Morrison frowned with a hand hovering over a door lock as the two of you rounded the corner. Reyes exchanged waves with you.

“Ana’s giving me a list of your weaknesses for reasons you don’t need to be concerned about. Anyway, heeeey Bosssss. Wanna reinstate my field clearance while you’re waiting outside this door?” You leaned against the wall, putting on your best hopeful grin.

“Have you gotten the okay from Dr. Ziegler yet?” Oh he knew you didn’t. You knew he knew. She seemed pleased by the speed of your healing, and so did Moira when you texted her, but it was apparently not enough to restore your clearance. You tried getting around it and asking Moira but you got an emoji from her. The first emoji you’d ever seen her use. The most terrifying smiley face that’s ever graced this world or the next. You showed it to Genji and you’re pretty sure you saw him shudder. Nightmarish.

“Not for two more weeks.” You sighed.

“Seems like you’re still on cooldown then.” 

You and Morrison met eyes. He too suffered from Reyes’ puns. He knew your pain. And now he was about to go into an hour of them. All you could do was nod in sympathy. That poor, poor man.


	22. Lighten the Mood

“I believe the key is to increase your heat tolerance. Right now you can handle far more than the average person, but even with your suit your body is holding you back.” Moira remarked, drawing blood from your arm. You’d come to her as soon as you had the chance. She understood your concern, your desire to keep moving forward. She was always chasing improvement herself.

“Would it be difficult to, change that?” You rubbed your arm, hopping off of the examination table. 

“Perhaps. Your existing abnormalities might make things a little challenging. But what’s the point of progress if there’s nothing to overcome? We’ll face more troubles from management then we will from my skill.” There was a touch of bitterness in her throat as she spoke. Moira had her back to you, sorting her samples, shoulders slightly stiffer than they normally were. 

“Management? Reyes? I doubt it. Why wouldn’t he want me to improve?” You paused in your quest for juice. “Unless you mean Morrison? Yeah that I’d understand.”

Moira restocked her supply of your favorite stuff yessss. You took two bottles and glued yourself to her side with a grin. “I mean. He’s super by the books, isn’t he? I don’t even think he likes it, he just makes himself do it anyway. I guess the UN wouldn’t be happy if the leader of Overwatch threw up his arms and said fuck the rules.”

Moira stuck the last colored label on a sample tube. “I can’t imagine they would be happy if he did anything but jump when they said so.”

“Right? Poor Morrison. No wonder the stress is wearing him down so much. This definitely wouldn’t make his life easier. But…” One bottle of juice down, another on the way. “We don’t have to tell him, do we? It’s really Blackwatch stuff. And medical confidentiality and all that. I get better at my job, I’m less obvious, fewer people complain to Morrison, everyone wins. Yeah?”

There was a moment of silence as Moira regarded you with a pinch of surprise. And then a slow smile, pleased. She relaxed as much as she ever could. “Yes. Everyone wins. You know, I forgot how alike we are. You understand the need for progress at any cost. Unlike so many of these fools. Very well, we’ll start slowly, increasing your temperature tolerance in increments. It will take longer but we’ll get more precise data that way.”

You just drank your juice, trying to keep a big grin off your face. You doubted there were many similarities between you and your friend aside from ‘make fire better’, but hey. You made her cheer up. That was an accomplishment in your book. You would add it to your resume, right next to ‘secret military arsonist’. Your resume was a secret resume that no one would see but you. You were never going to leave Blackwatch. Perhaps when you got older you would ‘retire’ by recruiting or creepily following younger agents around the halls flickering fire across your fingertips from fifteen yards away. Why is Agent Arson following us like this, they’d ask. And whoever sat in Morrison’s chair at that point would just sigh and get out the squirt bottle. A good a retirement plan as any.

“I’ll give you some privacy for a bit. Lena’s going to train with me in an hour and I’m going to want to get enough stretching for that.” You said, smiling as Moira waved you off. Training with Lena was fun. You couldn’t really keep up with her speed, but at least that didn’t result in you being stabbed yet. Yet. There was always a chance she could get real creative with those pistols. Some might argue you have a higher chance of being shot over stabbed but you had an airtight response.

Shut up. You tell them to shut up.

It’s not perfect but you never claimed to be a great public speaker. Not that you’ve ever tried or had a reason to try. One bonus to living life on the streets was not having to do any of the fabled ‘group presentations’. It was the only bonus really. You didn’t think there’d be any occasion to do it now unless you got bored on one of the jet rides out to your mission drop off point and tried an impromptu nonsense speech. Did it count if you weren’t really speaking in front of strangers?

“Hey, been looking everywhere for you.” Reyes strolled up behind you, dropping his arm over your shoulders. “I have a favor to ask.”

“You can ask but I’m not saying I won’t immediately ask Lena to shoot me in the leg.” You felt a chill in the air. A warning from the beyond. An omen in the form of your best friend giving his most accommodating smile. He knew you were going to do it. And that was just because you two were friends. You didn’t know what sort of nonsense you’d be dragged into if he knew you had feelings for him and you did not want to find out. It would not be good.

“Haha, funny. How do you feel about art galleries?” 

“Flammable, next question.”

Reyes chuckled. “Yeah, I figured. You curious about what’s hot in the art world?”

“You know, you’re also flammable-”

“Sorry, couldn’t help it. Long story short, Morrison squirmed his way out of attending this event at a gallery. Ana has the excuse of her shiny new watchpoint so I got stuck with it. I really don’t want to go alone and I need a security detail anyway.” He flashed a hopeful smile that killed any chance you had of not going to an art gallery. It wasn’t as though you didn’t have an appreciation for art. It was pretty and necessary, and you would love to pick some piece to hang on a wall someday. But you didn’t like hanging around for formal meetings on the base. It could not be any better in a party format. Wine couldn’t possibly fix some of the people you’ve seen try to talk to Reyes.

“I hate you.”

“Liar Liar, pants on-”

You swung around, planting your hands on his shoulders and glaring into his eyes with all the fake rage you could muster. “If you finish that sentence I will end you.”

He watched you, silently, his face slowly shifting from surprise to that little quirk he gets when he’s sarcastic to a quiet, thrill. The joy in his eyes, the delight, it is horrifying. This is your version of a nightmare. This is the sort of story that could be told around a campfire to make you scream. Reyes leaning in close and smiling made your blood run cold. You regretted this. So much.

“You’re hot when you’re angry.”

You closed your eyes. Stepped back. And deposited yourself face down on the floor.

Reyes’ laughter rang down the halls, loud and jubilant. You did not move. You were done. You lived there now. The floor was your home and your final resting place. You fully intended to die on that floor. If you were lucky you would just fucking dissolve. Burning yourself to ashes would be too difficult. The universe was going to have to do you a fucking solid.

“I’m-I’m…” Reyes snorted. “I’m sorry. I saw the opening. I had to.”

You had zero intention of removing yourself from your sweet tiled sanctuary. Reyes could take a cardboard cutout to his horrible nightmare party you were Home.

“C’mon, isn’t this a bit silly?”

Oh, of course, it was silly. You were the epitome of silly. You were the manifestation of the sheer idea of silly formed from the desperate honks of a small cult of face-painted chuckle clowns somewhere out in the grasslands. They called to you and you descended from the plane of pure thought to rain your silliness down upon the unsuspecting innocents.

“Alright then, fine.” Reyes sighed. A moment later you were plucked from the ground and placed over his shoulder. “Where we headed?”

“Are you really going to carry me around.” You gripped the back of his shirt as though that would help you stay steady. It would not. It would probably just rip his shirt if you fell which would be exactly what he deserved.

“With a smile on my face and a pepper in my step.”

If you had the sort of hand strength necessary you would be actively tearing his shirt on purpose. “Take me to the training area then you damn nerd. Maybe if I’m lucky Lena will be a good friend and fucking murder me.”

“Think she’ll murder me too, I really don’t want to go to this thing,” Reyes said.

“Don’t worry, I’ll lighten things up.” Wait.

“Did you just-”

“No.”

“I think you just -!” Reyes sounded more excited than anyone needed to be.

“I did not shut up I will set you on fire. I will set us both on fire. We’ll be the hottest assholes in Overwatch we’ll be on so much fucking fire.” Your threat fell on deaf ears. Reyes put you down and gave you the biggest grin you’d seen on him in months. He was so fucking happy with that one, awful, awful mistake. You will never live this down. It’s going to haunt you for the rest of your days. Your own skeleton in the closet. Except it won’t just be in the closet, it’ll be under your bed, in the trunk of your car, in your goddamn fucking kitchen pantry right next to your fucking kraft macaroni and cheese giving you a sultry grin every time you tried to eat a lazy meal. Fuck.

“Still gonna help me with my event problem?” He was audibly holding back laughter. You groaned in defeat, leaning your face against his shoulder.

“Yeah yeah. A promise is a promise and all of that total bullshit.” You said. You didn’t move. You were tired and he was comfy. You would still be plenty early for your afternoon with Lena, a few seconds leaning on your best friend after he just caught you making a Horrible Joke wouldn’t cost you anything. Reyes lifted his arm around you, a loose hug with his fingertips brushing your back for the slightest second.

“Thanks. I’ll uh, figure out dress code and everything.” His voice was quiet. Gentle.

“I’m banning any outfit that can also be a visual pun.” You stepped back. “No smokey greys, or fire oranges, or whatever else-stop that grin. You know, never mind. Live your dreams. I cannot stop you, but I can go work out. See you later, you weirdo.”

You walked away, hiding your smile when he shouted “This weirdo is your boss!”

“Ugh. I know.”


	23. Candles and Glass

You had never dressed up in your life. Not once, not ever. You didn’t have the opportunity to. Now you did, and it sucked. The clothes felt thick and constricting even without your suit underneath. You couldn’t go without it either. The idea of heading into a crowd of people you didn’t know, having those eyes on you, made you light your blankets on fire twice. The suit kept you cool, kept you calm, and hopefully would keep doing that all night.

“If you throw up it’ll just get us out of there early.” Reyes smiled at you, concern dimming the light in his eyes. He looked, really fucking amazing. Not enough to distract you from the heat in your chest but still. Something nice to look at. 

“McCree would’ve been a better bodyguard don’t you think?” The tinted glass windows were cool against your skin. Soothing. So was the hand that reached out to rub small circles into your back.

“Morrison’s the one who made that call when he heard I was bringing you, you know. It’ll be fine. I promise.” You could fall asleep listening to his bullshit. That would be a great excuse for not attending. Worth looking Morrison in the eyes and explain why you left Reyes alone without direct protection. Maybe you’d take a page from Morrison’s book and try to smother yourself with the paperwork.

The event was at less of a gallery and more of a museum. Or maybe you’d never known the difference. It stood with a glimmering sheen of metal and tinted black glass, a line of lights and cars and smiling faces pouring into it. You threw yourself out of the car, too small, standing ‘guard’ while staring vacantly at the scene around you. Strange faces, all of them suspicious, all of them benign. You were out of your element. Maybe you needed to have a talk with Moira about large spaces and large crowds and the way your skin was crawling. Crawling, not smoking. You had control.

You had control.

“Commander Reyes, we’re pleased to welcome to you to the Midsummer’s Gala.” A man announced, walking confidently down the stairs.

“Any party thrown by you is going to be good, Representative Barrow.” Reyes responded, motioning for you to follow.

“Wouldn’t let you leave base without a babysitter, hmmmm Reyes?” Barrow chuckled, leading you both into the building. The foyer was gaping, white walls and a large crystalline chandelier, a few sparse sculptures that lacked the presence to make the room feel filled. The crowd struggled to give it life, a thrumming cluster of quiet muffled speech and the occasional pleasant laugh. Talk about a great way to make yourself feel small. Perhaps that was the point. Art making people feel things and all.  
“You know how Morrison is about security. Especially with Amari at her own base.” Reyes smiled, glancing back at your face. He didn’t seem to buy your best attempt at a smile. Fair. Your fake smile skills weren’t amongst your improved repertoire. 

“Haha, of course! You can’t blame him, the world is a dangerous place. Everyone’s after the heroes.” Barrow caught your attention with that. You centered your gaze on the back of his head, holding back the urge to burn. That sounded like a threat as far as you were concerned. Reyes didn’t seem to mind. He just kept laughing and talking and taking the glass of wine a server offered him. He offered you a glass but you shook your head. No drinking on duty. Especially since you didn’t feel like letting your guard down.

“Right, right. I’m just glad to keep our teams safe. If that means spending an evening ‘at risk’,” Reyes paused to do air quotes, “Then so be it.”

“Haha, aren’t you the brave martyr.” Barrow playfully nudged him, both of them snorting at the thought. 

“I’d better leave you to greet the rest of the guests, Barrow. I don’t want to know what Representative Lam will do if they think they’re being ignored again.” Reyes said. Barrow just shook his head with a smile, waving as he headed back towards the lobby.

Reyes leaned over to you and murmured. “Last time Lam thought they were being ignored they accidentally shoved a server that knocked over a table full of candles. I’m sure you know what happened next.”

“Perfect, worse comes to worse and I’ll blame them for the fires.” You looked around at the paintings on the walls, each one set into a floating frame, the canvas hovering away from the wall with dramatic emphasis. Or emptiness. It still felt so uncomfortably sterile. The works themselves were pretty, but they looked like they belonged somewhere with so much more life. You wandered from painting to painting just… looking. Aware vaguely that Reyes was letting you lead him through this party when really you should be following him. Protecting him or making him make friends with diplomats or, something. The art calmed you down at least. Maybe not setting fire to a bunch of politicians qualified as a mission objective.

“Hm. You know, I heard of an installation in here that you might like. This way.” Reyes linked your arm in his, pulling you through the crowds and the halls, pretending like he conveniently didn’t hear any of the multiple people calling his name or that he didn’t see any of the multiple hands waving in his direction. He had a place to be and if you were lucky it would be the one place in this building that didn’t have blank white walls or a crowd of people.

“Alright, close your eyes.” He paused before turning into a hallway, looking back at you with a small smile. “Go on, close them.”

You humored him. Worst that would happen was you’d trip, embarrass yourself, and then set the furniture in his office on fire. And only the furniture. It would be a test of your abilities but by damn, you would fucking do it. There was no better motivator than the urge to be incredibly petty. At least, not for you.

Reyes guided you around the corner, the room surprisingly quiet save for the softest conversation on the opposite side of the room. 

“Open up.”

Candles and glass. Thousands of them. The candles hung in simple metal cups, the glass in irregular strange shapes dangling from fishing line. Multicolored and flickering, they bathed the room in dancing colored lights. Flashes of red and splashes of orange, deep rivulets of yellow sparkling down the walls. The light was moving, spiraling, lovely. It was breathtakingly beautiful. The room felt full, alive, awake. Reyes draped his arms over you, resting his chin on your shoulder, his cheek against yours. 

You were quiet for a while. Not every moment needs to be filled with conversation. Sometimes things can just be as they are. And you liked how comfortable it felt to be wrapped up in Reyes’ arms like this.

“They called the installation Fire.” He murmured. “Thought you would get a kick out of it.”

You raised your eyebrows and snorted. “You and your damn puns, Reyes.”

Another pause, and you could have sworn his arms squeezed just a little closer. “No, hot stuff. Though I did chuckle. I thought you’d like it because it makes me think of you. This… This is you, to me.”

It took you, way too damn long to process what he was saying. Part of you was distracted by the dancing lights surrounding you but most of you was just… Stunned. You weren’t really good at emotional stuff. It was, big and confusing and your best friends were either just as bad at it as you were or they were Moira and it was Not Advisable. You loved her, you really did. And she probably did know how to explain everything. However. Not. Advisable. You floundered for a second before realizing that… It was fine. You were awkward and Reyes knew and… He liked it.

“This is a pretty hot spot.” You muttered, leaning back into him. Reyes tried to keep quiet, his laughs coming out in little puffs of air against your neck.

“It’s a real good place for, kindling spark-” You cut yourself off with a groan. You couldn’t do it. They were just bad jokes. Even when Reyes almost dropped both of you laughing into the crick of your neck. Of course his taste in jokes would bring both of you down. They were bad and you were both bad for giggling at them. Not that you were giggling, helplessly, clinging onto his arms for support.

“Is this a date, Reyes?”

“Not unless I get to take you out to dinner.” Reyes answered as soon as he caught his breath back.

“An excuse to leave and some food? Yes, to both, pretty please.”


	24. Tiny Figurines

Watchpoint Gibraltar was fucking scenic.

Most of it was built into the mountain, carved into tunnels that you couldn’t see from the road or the waves. The only sign of it from the town was a pair of heavy security doors set into a short tunnel. The town was so quiet and peaceful the builders didn’t want to disrupt that with the base. So they masked it and let the natural setting shine. The sunset was, gorgeous. All the colors danced across the ocean’s surface in a twinkling mirror. Almost enough to make you wish you had been reassigned with Winston. Could have enjoyed some dramatic seaside pining. Not that you couldn’t still do that. The night was young.

Winston had his own lab space tucked right into a natural cave, with a broad office window overlooking the horizon. It had taken him awhile to get everything together. Most of his space was still cluttered with stacked boxes and packing materials. At least, his office was. His lab down below seemed complete as far as you could tell.

“Your lab has a great view Winston. It’s pretty clean too. Almost as if the bulk of the mess was actually caused by your gross friends who like to leave stuff everywhere.” You mused. Winston smiled over at you, continuing to unbox one of his shiny new pieces of lab equipment. It was still coming in piece by piece. He set it down on its counter and gingerly inspected it before gathering up the packaging.

“To be fair, I did bring a lot of everyone’s things with me when I packed. I just put it all into lockers so you’d have it when you came. They’re all labeled if you wanna take a look.” Winston said.

“Really?” Really. Your name etched neatly into a metal plate and secured onto a small locker that held a sweater you thought you’d lost months ago. It was your most broken in sweater, so dang comfy. To be fair, you owned exactly one style of sweater, the standard black with the tiny blackwatch logo embroidered onto the right cuff. But this sweater was still the best, and it had a bleach stain on the left elbow because you were tired when doing your laundry and threw your stuff into the bleach only washer. Whoops. Someday you would go shopping for clothes that didn’t have secret stealth unit logos on them. It was too late to go today. And tomorrow you had to get back to HQ. And then, well, you would find something else if you tried hard and believed in yourself.

“Can I raid Genji’s locker?”  
“I wouldn’t suggest it.”

“Hmm… Can I…” You paused and quickly ran the risks versus rewards. The risks were so high. Just, so very very high. And yet.

“Hey Winston, can I fill Genji’s locker with thousands of tiny plastic animals.”

Winston stopped what he was doing and gave you a strange look. “Do you… have… thousands of tiny plastic animals?”

You held up your phone. He shouldn’t let you do it. It wasn’t a good idea, wasn’t going to end well, not for you, not for him, not for anybody really. But there wasn’t much that Genji would have left for Winston to pack away; he wouldn’t have a real reason to go into the locker unless he wanted to put something inside. In which case you just had to make sure you were never visiting Winston at the same time as genji. Or, you would have to make sure you could hide behind Ana until he had to leave. Neither option was foolproof but you’ve lived a full life. Sorta.

“I am not aware of anything you’re doing anywhere near the lockers. Oh look, a mini fridge. I think I forgot to request some snacks.” Winston didn’t saaaay yes. But that was a yes. That was a yes but if something happened then he was Not Involved. It would be your grave and your grave alone.

Fucking.

Worth.

It.

Maybe he’d find it right away. Or maybe it’d be months, years, before Genji opened that locker. The longer he waited, the funnier it would be. Maybe you could even try to feign innocence. You didn’t even know there were lockers there. What lockers? Even if, eventually, the trail lead back to you, it was a good way to go. Tormented best friend with a shower of tiny sheep, then murdered by said best friend. You wanted that on your tombstone whether Genji killed you or not. Moira would do it if you asked her. Moira would do anything, really. Someday you would find something she would not do and you would study it for science. She would be proud.

“So what’s going on back at HQ? Anything interesting?” Winston asked as he placed his ‘I’m not involved’ snack order. Genji can’t prove he agreed if Winston has the receipts to prove he was busy.

“Aside from the usual? Apparently Morrison’s allergic to guava. Swears up and down he used to be able to eat it just fine but he accidentally got his thumb in some guava sorbet and got hives head to toe. He looked Reyes in the eye and started lifting the spoon to his mouth and Wilhelm tackled him.” Poor Morrison. It was a funny joke but probably not the one to make in a room full of trained soldiers.

“Ouch.” Winston put down his tablet, setting in at the closest desk to you.

“Yeah. Mostly that incident. Also I maybe went on a date with Reyes.”

Winston stopped his tinkering and slowly turned to look at you. You shrugged, successfully fighting the urge to put your feet on one of his tables. They didn’t belong there, they never belonged there. Feet belong on the ground. Sometimes socked feet could be on the couch but still, no feet on table. The lectures, so many lectures.

“I mean… technically it was a mission. For um. Bodyguarding. Morrison didn’t want him going to the event alone… But it was also, you know. We left early, had dinner… watched a movie back at base…” You tilted to look up at the ceiling. Winston had hung a tire up there. Fun.

“So I think my feelings might be mutual-”

“Oh, really?”

If you had something to throw at Winston you would. Take a page out of Genji’s book. Perhaps not to the same extent though. Foam darts maybe. Or you could just use empty peanut butter jars. Balls of paper. Cushions. Whatever was at hand and non-lethal, really. You anxiously tapped your foot against the ground, a drawn-out pattern that wasn’t a pattern at all. Just a mindless tapping until your leg started to ache from repetition. 

A bottle of water gently bounced on the couch into your side. Winston smiled and turned back to tinker with his project.

“That’s wonderful! I’m happy for both of you. I’m going to have to message Lena to go ahead and cancel her plans.” He said like that wasn’t the most alarming thing you’d ever heard.

“What do you mean.”

He started humming that fuzzy ass. You twirled your finger, a little spiral of flame flicking to life at the corner of his desk. Winston snorted, smothering it with a quick napkin. 

“No fires in my lab.”

You pouted. Or not pouted. You don’t pout, never have, never will. No one had any evidence to prove otherwise. You pulled out your phone, immediately texting Reyes about not trusting any of your friends. At least temporarily. 

He texted you back faster than you thought he would. “Come in. You’ve got a mission.”


	25. Overheat

“Hurry and gear up, plane takes off in 15 minutes.” Reyes was barely still for a second before he disappeared out of view. Maybe he wasn’t there at all. Maybe he just manifested his mental stress into a second version of himself that had just enough time in this world to tell you to throw on your bodysuit and throw yourself into a jet. You carried on most of your clothes with you. Was jogging through blackwatch halls wearing a very uncomfortably visible cooling suit fun? Nope. Was it better than being late for a mission? Yeeeep.

“So you’re not wearing pants for this mission?” Genji was already lounging in the jet, tapping his foot impatiently.

“Well you’re never wearing anything so I figured solidarity.” You grinned. “Nah, figured I could put on the rest in here. Didn’t want to try to cram myself into cargo to slide my suit on.”

“Did you get debriefed?”

“No, that’ll happen no- Well hello hotstuff. Dressing minimally today?” Reyes had a faint smile on his face. One that quickly disappeared. You just pulled a pair of pants out of your bag and wiggled them at the screen before putting them on.

“Good. Your objective is the destruction of this facility, under the control of a group that calls themselves Talon. There’s not much on them other than that, just faint ideas. What I do know is that they’re starting to cause some real trouble and there’s not much Morrison can do with the crumbs we have.”

A map appeared on the screen of a compound, with several buildings highlighted in red. “These are your targets, The targets. Take down their materials and equipment and you can keep them from causing trouble long enough for us to gather more information. Genji, you’re the distraction. A smokescreen.”

You stopped midway to pulling down your shirt and frowned at the screen. Only one eye was visible but that was enough. He knew of your disapproval.

“Understood. I’ll give you the time you need.” Genji said. You knew he would. Genji was the best in Blackwatch, with the most skill and the most experience. Except, maybe, for Reyes himself. Gabriel? No that was. Reyes for now. Reyes would do just fine.

“Good. Get this done quickly. I want you in my office as soon as you get back to base. Reyes out.” The screen flickered back to the map as his voice cut out, leaving you to finish getting ready in silence. With Genji at your back this would go smoothly. Or well, at your, somewhere else while you were trying to set stuff on fire. Somewhere in the distance, on the horizon. Or he was going to be super close all along in your heart. Your attention span was fucking fantastic.

Your strategy was simple. Set shit on fire. You were a military arsonist your shit wasn’t complicated. Your shit was slipping off the jet while Genji disappeared into the fucking ether. Where’d he go? When did he go? No one knew but you had to book it through fucking forest terrain to get where you needed to go. This was your first and last time in the woods. What was this. There was fucking dirt everywhere. Leaves in your face. There were more spiders than you thought could fit into so little space. What, were trees like. Fucking spider magnets. Did they summon the spiders. Was there a rune somewhere.

Sirens. “There’s someone coming in from the south!”

Yeah, there was. A few silenced shots and bodies fell to the floor. Not the, best shots. But they were dead so… you know.

There weren’t too many guards between you and the buildings thanks to… whatever Genji was getting up to. Murder. Flips. Murder flips. You slipped between them, leaning against a wall and staring at the wall in front of you. It took longer than you thought it was but the building started to smoke and sputter into bursts of flame. Must be made with pretty reliable materials. You would have to talk to Moira about that. This was taking too long. It was always burn and get out, not wait around playing tetris on your phone while you waited for your powers to burn a building down.

You turned and started burning the building behind you, placing your hands against it and feeling the fire rising on the other side of the wall. It felt so bright. So strong. One of the best fires you’d ever built and you were the only one who would really appreciate it. You couldn’t blame this, Talon, for not enjoying it. No one wanted their home set on fire. But man those flames were crawling. The walls were practically melting now, leaping towards the other buildings, crawling over anything remotely flammable. The shouts of “intruder” were now shouts of “fire!” and then shouts of “get out of here!”

The buildings and everything inside was absolutely toast. The entire compound was fucking toast. The screams and shouts were growing faint as people got the hell of there. Even you were beginning to feel faint. It was too hot. Shit it was too hot. You should have left a long time ago what were you fucking doing just… You stumbled. It was way too hot. There was so much fire. The light wiped your vision and the waves of hot air were strong enough to push you over.

You stumbled out into one of the more open areas, doing your best to keep the fire away from you. It had engulfed everything in site, from buildings to trees to the fenceline. Everything. Everything was on fire.

You remembered being in your bed. It was was a pine frame. Your blanket was patchwork and you didn’t know whether it was a quilt or if it was just a repeatedly repaired comforter that kept getting the shit beat out of it. There was a giraffe in the bed? It was soft. It was so soft. The smoothest thing you’d ever touched. You had watched your first horror movie earlier that day. It wasn’t scary now but back then it gave you a fear that clung to your skin and followed you home from your cousin’s house. It kept you awake and kept growing and growing and growing…

And then there was a flash of bright light in the corner of your room. The pile of shoeboxes that you had built school dioramas in was burning like the fires at camp. You became afraid of the fire and the fire spread. Up the walls and across the ceiling. Over the carpet and closer to your comforter until you finally screamed and threw yourself out of the bedding. You ran towards the door screaming for help. Everyone was screaming with you. There was running, rushing, and you were shoved down. Shoved back into your room where the fire was covering everything. And you ran after them, watching your family flee a tunnel of flame and fire. And it was following you. It never stopped following you.

You don’t register that someone’s thrown you over their shoulder until you’re already weaving through the debris and spirals of flame. Genji. How did Genji even find you. You didn’t… didn’t call. You opened your mouth to talk but you could just cough. Your throat was hoarse. Had you been screaming?

Half the forest is on fire. There’s a strange period of silence when the fires finally consumed life and there’s nothing but the crackle of trees falling the fuck apart. Everything is still but the flames. That’s all. And then you’re dragged past the fire’s reach and everything bursts into a cacophony. The sounds of animals screaming and screeching and desperately running for cover. It was loud and horrifying and you shuddered as smaller fires started to snap into bushes and low hanging branches.

“Hold it together, we’re almost at the plane!” Genji’s voice is familiar and right. You lost control. You just needed to get it back. Pull your fear back in and convince yourself that everything is okay. Which technically it was. Your job was to destroy the compound and you definitely did that. It very much fucking destroyed. If Talon had any sort of financing it would take them a while to fix what you’d done there. So you also burned down like. A forest. And you might have sort of blacked out at one point. Those were just minor details. The important thing was, mission success. So just. Concentrate on that and breathe.

Genji didn’t put you down until you could already hear the hum of the jet’s engine at the rendezvous point. You shuddered at the cloud of black smoke blotting out the sky, making a dark night even darker. The pilot muttered something about overkill as you loaded onto the plane. True. There would definitely be questions about this in the morning. Poor Morrison.

“Yeah sorry about that I’m… I think I pushed a bit, too far.” You collapsed into a seat feeling all the energy rush out of you. You’ve never been so tired. Like your very bones have been drained and now you’re just… empty. You should write this down. Remember exactly what to say to Moira so the two of you could work together to fix, well, all of it. Make you faster, stronger, with more finesse. It could just be a manner of practice, but practice would always turn out better if she was there to analyze the results. You would have to do something to thank her. Maybe like. Cake?

You opened your eyes and almost threw yourself to the ground trying to get up. “Shit Genji!”

It wasn’t a bad burn. But it was still large. You made it to the medkit despite your jelly legs and hauled yourself back to his side. His arm was burned, and it was your damn fault. You had the burn cream out and smeared before he could start to argue. He turned a warning glare towards you. It faded. He held out his arm while you did your best to haphazardly fix what you’d done.

“Fuck… fuck… fuck… I’m so sorry, I’m so fucking sorry.” You muttered, winding the bandages.

“I have stabbed you before.”

“It’s not the same.” Your hands were shaking. Accidents were one thing. But this was. You started this on purpose. Genji would’ve gotten out cleanly if it wasn’t for you losing it in the middle of it. This was your fault. You let go when the faintest bit of heat started building in your fingertips. Of course you would burn him again. 

“I’ve had worse.”

You put your face into your hands and sighed. “I should just go set him on fire. Set everything those assholes own on fire. Burn them to the fucking ground.”

A hand gripped your shoulder.

“Someday.”


	26. Gentle Warmth

“And now I owe Genji a shit ton of favors because I set him on fire.” You groaned, getting up from one of the chairs in front of Reyes’ desk to drop down on his office couch in a loose sprawl.

“Can I just take my missions solo? I’m getting better at combat I’ll just, shoot people.” It would be safer that way. Minimize the risks.You would still need to learn how to keep it from spreading past your initial burn zone but that needed to be done regardless of having a team. You weren’t even sure if the distraction was really a benefit in the end. Would you have been able to burn your way into that compound without Genji?

“If Morrison asks you anything about the latest report from the eco teams, just pretend like you don’t know what it says.” Reyes sighed as he sat down next to you. He shifted as close to you as he could before giving a little nod and putting his arm around your shoulders. You hesitated, taking a moment to remember the evening in the museum, the quiet dinner near the waterline. His hand gently guiding yours back to the car.

“Is this okay?” Reyes caught your attention. You nodded and leaned into his embrace. This was… This was good. This was comforting.

“I didn’t even know there were eco teams but I can already imagine what their reports are going to say.” You muttered. A whole dang forest burned to the ground. Was there a secret compound in there? Who would know, it’s all gone now. 

“Well, stop imagining.” Reyes snorted. “It won’t do you any good. There’s other things that we have to take care of. Like any other smaller groups that try to pop up and take Talon’s place. I have enough people in the field but if we need to take one of them down you’ll need to be ready.”

“I am… I am I… What happened to Genji won’t happen again.” You clenched your hands. You would never set a friend on fire again. No more accidents, no more mistakes. You wouldn’t hurt someone you cared about, you would protect them and destroy anything that even so much as considered hurting them. The thought made your skin heat up and you assumed Reyes moved away to avoid the burn of your body so close to his when you were so angry. But he shifted until he could take your hands in his and gently uncurled your fists.

“Don’t get lost in the ashes. Yeah, Genji got burned getting you out of the fire. But, it’s alright. You both got home alive. Genji’s fine. Ziegler took care of it faster than you could blink.” Reyes smiled, looking down at your hands. “It’s alright hotstuff. You’re good. Report’s over. You hungry?”

How the hell was he so fine with this. Like at any point. How did he see an arrested criminal sitting in an interrogation room with a flaming papercup and think hey. That’s hireable. That’s not Completely Fucking Strange. Every step of the way, he was just, calm and accepting and at most interested. But he acted like it was any other mission misstep. Just, a normal part of the job. Everyone loses control starting fires in this business. It was a wonder. He was a wonder.

“Damn I wanna kiss you.” You paused. “Wait did I just- fuck.”

You didn’t need or mean to say that outloud.

Reyes slowly grinned. “Are you saying instead of kissing you’d rather-”

“I retract my earlier statement let the record show I’ll still set you on fire.” You refused to look at him now. You and your mouth. You and his mouth. God damn both of your mouths. God damn his laugh in your ear and his hand on your face and his forehead pressed against yours while he lets out the last traces of a chuckle. God damn the way his lips start so gentle. God damn the way your fuckin’ arms find their way around his shoulders to pull him closer. God damn the way he pulls you onto his lap and winds his fingers into your hair. God damn the way he kisses you harder until your lips and his start to swell and you have to break apart panting.

God damn.

“Yeah now that you mention it I am pretty hungry.” You said in between breaths. His laugh was softer, huskier. You reluctantly got up, offering a hand to help him rise from the couch. Reyes didn’t let go once he was standing. He just started walking with you in tow.

“Uh shouldn’t we um… Not hold hands cause… I mean. Professionalism or whatever.” You didn’t want to let go.

“Nah. Morrison and Amari already know.” Reyes snorted. “I told Ana I didn’t think you felt the same way and she laughed at me until Jack asked why.”

“God, she knows everything.” You fake a shudder. “I… I didn’t think you felt the same either.”

“I call you hot all the time. I’m pretty sure I’ve even said you’re smokin’.” The pride in his eyes. The puns in his heart. Why did you have to live this life.

“Though if you want…” He lowered his head to your ear. “I could tell you something else.”

The heat in your skin flared, hot enough for him to visibly twitch. You immediately tugged your hand away and put a step between you. Maybe you should cool down before you started touching anybody again. Take a shower. Think about… math? Rocks? That never made sense to you. How is thinking about not-hot things supposed to help.

Reyes threw his arms around you and pulled you close. “Talk about burning love.”

“I’m going to murder you.”

“But you love me.”

You blew a raspberry, pretending to ignore his laugh. Your attempts to give him the cold shoulder weren’t going very well. Especially since he seemed to make an effort to keep his skin on yours. His hands on your hands, your arms, your face. Constant contact until you came to his car and then a soft kiss. A reluctant step to the other side. 

“You remember that little place I took you, when you were first starting to step off of base?” Reyes asked, hand reaching for yours as he pulled out of headquarters.

“You’re really touchy today aren’t you? Yeah, the uh-” you paused, “thai place? Or was it the place with the ‘good’ pizza that you told me about but it’s not, It’s Not Good.”

“It’s not, not good. It’s not the best but it’s still better than you keep saying.” Reyes retorted, bringing your hand to his face for a kiss. You weren’t going to lie. You liked it. Were you planning on making fun of him for it? Oh of course. Of course you were. Just like he was brainstorming his next awful pun. The two of you were going to tease each other into oblivion and hopefully make out a few more times before then. Fingers crossed.

“No, no it’s really bad. I mean, alright. I’ve eaten pizza out of a dumpster before. I’m not saying I’m the expert on what is and isn’t good pizza. I’m just pretty sure I’m super acquainted with bad pizza and if that was in a dumpster I would seriously think about eating it.” The crust was like. Like a crepe. Like the weird super flat wobbly pancakes? Like that, but dried out a bit, with cheese. It was bad. Nothing would convince you that it wasn’t.

“Hm. I’ll have to show you good pizza then.”

“Putting olives on it will not make it better.” Down with crepe pizza.

“Hey now, I won’t have you slander my olives. No, I’ll have to take you to one of the good pizza places. Maybe make a weekend out of it. Haven’t had you stay in many hotels, you might enjoy it.” His grin was infectious. You doubted either of you would have many opportunities even for one night off base. But it would be nice if it came up.

“So… we’re dating right?” You ask, perking up as the thai restaurat's familiar sign came into sight. You were so, so damn hungry.

“I should hope so, otherwise I’ve really failed to get my point across. That would be ember-assing.” Reyes did not meet your eyes as he parked. A good thing. Your eyes were not happy. Your eyes were disapproving. Your face was disapproving. You were going to kiss those fucking puns right out of him.

“Point taken you fucking nerd. You really burn me out.” You waited for that excited smile that lit up his face that he got when you unwillingly participated in his nonsense. He held open the door for you, eyebrows wiggling.

“We can take this at your pace… I like a slow burn.”

“Thanks, I don’t want to get burned ou- God someone murder me.” You rubbed your forehead, privately delighting in the near breathless laughter as Reyes leaned against the car door for dear life.


	27. Climbing the Ladder

Getting Lena to train with you? Easy. Actually doing it? Not Easy. It just highlighted how bad you were against anyone who was remotely faster than you. Your only tactic was to slow them down until they hit your level and you were barely figuring out how to do that. Walls of fire, strips of superheated flooring, random ankle level whips of flame. All pretty useful but you needed to work on executing them fast enough for the intended effect. You were lucky that Lena agreed. The most common answer to “Hey can I set you on fire?” was “No.”

“We should go on a double date!” Lena bubbled as she circled you, slightly slowed down by the bulky fire suit she had to wear to train with you. You kept your eyes trained on her stun pistols and shrugged.

“I mean… Would Emily want to? We’re not exactly normal people.” You flung up your hand, drawing a short tower of fire where Lena was standing. She blinked, a few stun shots barely missing your arm. You spun with a small burst of fire to keep the distance between you. It was small though, ineffective and Lena was easily able to weave close and land a shot. Close enough for you to grab her arm though. Lena blinked away as you were about to pulse heat into her suit.

“Of course! Emily likes you, and I’m sure she’d like Commander Reyes too. You can all make horrible jokes together-ack” Lena stumbled as a small ball of fire erupted in her path. Another blink and she pinged you in the arm again.

“I don’t make the horrible jokes! All the time.” It’s not your fault, the puns just happen. Unbidden and unwelcome. Every time one falls from your throat you feel a little more of your soul draining out with it. Turned out there was really only so much weaving and backpedaling you could do against someone who was faster than you. Lena blinked between your flames, landing a kick on your torso and dropping you to the ground. You tapped the ground a few times and just laid there. Why did you end up on the floor so often.

Lena plopped down next to you. “So what do you think?”

“Hm?”

“A double date!”

You shrugged and looked up at the ceiling. Best case scenario was that everything went fine and you had another normal person memory to add to your very small list of normal human memories. Worst case scenario Emily found out the interesting way that you can create fire. Which should be fine. You trusted Lena and Lena loved Emily. Surely that meant that Emily was trustworthy too… 

“I’ll take to Reyes about it.” You slowly pried yourself up off the floor, accepting Lena’s hand when she offered it. 

“Think he’ll say no?”

“No, probably not. Or maybe. I don’t know. It’s still pretty early, you know? And all of my previous relationships ended in literal flames. And lasted like, 30 minutes tops. One lasted 2 hours but he was an actual arsonist and was grilling me on my secrets while the bed burned behind us. Very romantic.” You sighed.

“Sounds like things got pretty spicy.” She grinned.

“Lena Oxton I have to deal with that sort of nonsense from my… Reyes. I will not take such puns from you.” You spun on your heel, pointing aggressively at her face. She broke into laughter, leaning against the wall outside of the training room while you lowered your arm and gave your best angry pout.

“Wait are you not gonna say it-” She wheezed. 

“Alright Oxton back in the room and square the fuck up we’re going back at this.” You stretched your arms, readying yourself for this inevitable battle. You were going to have to kick Lena’s ass. Or rather, you were going to try, and she was going to kick your ass. And then you were going to set all of her potted plants on fire. Such was the way of nature.

“I think… the word you’re looking for… is boyfriend.” Lena was still laughing every couple of breathless words.

“I mean… I sort of just… Yeah you’re right. I’m still going to fight you though.” You sigh. You still hesitated just getting physically close to him. He had to pull you in. You just… didn’t want to get burned. Lena caught you in a hug, chuckling in your ear.

“I’m going to plan out that double date. You’ll both have to come whether you like it or not! I wonder what we should do. Movies? One of those cute arcades? I’ll have to ask Emily. This’ll be great!” She said.

“Alright, alright, you win. I’ll let him know you’re planning on kidnapping us after I’m done with Moira.” You hugged her back, stepping away with a shake of your head. You would have to make sure your suit was ready unless you wanted to really let the ski ball know how you felt about it.

Fucking ski ball.

“Moira she’s um… a doctor, a real doctor, right?” Lena asked softly.

“Mm-hmm. Why, what’s up?” You sometimes forgot that Moira straight up refused to meet with anyone who was outside of Blackwatch. If you didn’t know her as well as you did, you’d think it was anxiety. No, with her it was probably mild annoyance, or superiority. Why bother with people that weren’t at her level and all that. You adored her but she still had her, moments.

“Wellll. I was just, talking to McCree… And he doesn’t, seem to like her very much?” Oh. Fucking McCree.

“Yeah I don’t know what their issue is. He hasn’t liked her since I’ve met him and I’m pretty sure he didn’t like her when she first showed up either. It’s just your standard workplace feud.” Also McCree was an ass, but you didn’t think Lena wanted to hear that. Plus you were a little bit biased. Just the tiniest fraction. 

“I’m sure you’d like her just fine if she ever agreed to come out of her cave. I’m not even sure she remembers what the sun is like. Once in a while I light a ball of fire to remind her but it’s just not the same.” You exaggerated a sigh. Lena’s laugh was quiet. Her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. You would definitely have to introduce the two of them. Moira did sound intimidating on paper. All you had to do was connect the two of them and they’d… probably be fine. Lena could get along with anyone. 

“Well… Alright. If you need me I’m a phone call away. And ask Commander Reyes about that double date!” Lena gently punched your arm, laughing normally when you pretended to fall into the wall and cry.

Moira was waiting for you when you got there. There was a smile on her face and this bright excitement in her eyes. Just like she was when she first got her hands on your case files. Like she saw all of the possibilities at her fingertips and was ready to utilize each and every one. She immediately motioned you to your regular seat and tapped a holoscreen.

“I’ve got what I need to begin adjusting your body’s heat tolerance and endurance. The greatest roadblock to our progress will finally be overridden.” Moira was pointing to diagrams that she knew you didn’t understand. You didn’t need to. The idea of finally being able to really move forward was all you needed to know. Moira understood your need to push forward like no one else did. Progress was everything wasn’t it? People were made to get better and science helped them to get better, faster. 

“So is this a one shot or nah?” You settled onto the treatment bed, pulling out your phone so you didn’t have to stare blankly at the ceiling.

“No. We’ll start with a single dosage so I can examine the viability of my formula. Once I know it’s strong enough, we’ll move from there.” Moira smiled, preparing your arm for the iv. “We’ll give this dosage a few weeks before establishing a full course schedule.”

“That sounds reasonable. Slow and steady.” Hopefully this wasn’t going to like. Turn you green or give you an extra arm. Or recreate whatever happened to Moira’s arm. You got glimpses now and again but never brought it up. If it was relevant to anything at all then she would have told you by now. Moira wasn’t really a secretive person, she just didn’t like bringing up stuff that didn’t matter.

“For now. Once we’re ready there will be no stopping us.” Moira reached into her medication fridge, “We are pushing the boundaries of modern science and when we’re done? We’ll have accomplished something great.”

Moira flicked a syringe full of bright red liquid, pushing it into the iv’s medication port. It dyed the rest of the bag a light pink, an uncomfortably easy way to spot when her serum made its way into your arm. You winced. That didn’t look great and it was your own damn fault for looking at the iv line. It’s not like she’s just giving you some antibiotics. You’re literally getting your genetics adjusted.

… well. That’s a scary fucking way of thinking about it.

But like. All big things are frightening aren’t they? Everyone gets nervous before job interviews or court hearings or getting their genetics altered. At least you had the benefit of having a world class scientist handling it for you. Moira wouldn’t do anything that could slow down her research. So the situation was as safe as it could possibly be, the only way it could be safer was if you weren’t born with fire in your veins. And you weren’t sure you regretted that anymore.

It was hot. Like. Really hot. It felt like there was really fire just flowing free right under the surface of your skin. You clothes starting to get damp from sweat and your breath came out in weary puffs. So hot. So warm. Moira sighed at her computer, tapping a few keys and activating a cool breeze above your head. You wanted to get up and move, run into a shower, run outside, bury yourself in six feet of snow. But you couldn’t. The pink liquid was still lingering in the iv tube. You just needed to wait a little longer. You promised.

It took too long for Moira to pull the iv from your arm and write down the results while you tackled a pile of water bottles. The room was spinning and you wanted to sleep. For a very long time. Is this what normal people felt when they took morphine? It sucked. This sucked.

“I’ll need you in twice weekly to measure the results. I’ve already emailed you the schedule, it shouldn’t interfere with your regular training,” Moira said, tapping on her screen. 

“Yeah. Yeah, will do.” You slurred your speech, almost falling as you made your way out of her lab. You needed a shower, and some food, and a nice long nap in your bed. Genji shouldn’t mind if you canceled training tomorrow right? But then you would be behind on your training and it’d have to be made up eventually. Ugh that meant you had to go. You caught yourself from falling and shook your head to clear it. Better to just concentrate on getting to your room, for now. You had a long couple of months ahead of you.


	28. Under the Weather

You wanted to sleep in.

You were still tired from Moira’s initial treatment. It been nearly a week now and it still felt like you were walking through knee deep mud. Moira assured you it was normal though, and that was some small relief. At least it was finally at a stage where you could coffee and energy drink your way through it. Your vision was no longer blurry and you could walk without having to lean on everything. You would have to be better prepared for the next treatment. Take a few days off with whatever excuse would get the least amount of attention. You didn’t want to be fussed over and you knew the people in your life well enough to know that fussing would happen. Different flavors but if you bought a variety pack of cheese you knew damn well it was all cheese in there. There’s not any surprise celery hiding in the pack of sargento thin slices. It was cheese. It was worry. 

God damn you worried enough for everyone involved.

Maybe that would go away when everything was said and done. When all of this was over, when you were at your strongest, when the fire no longer threatened to destroy you and anyone near you… maybe then you wouldn’t have to worry anymore. 

Sleeping in wasn’t working out for you. You kept waking up just as you got tired enough to drop off. Awake. Asleep. Awake. Asleep. A cycle that was really just wearing fucking thin. Couldn’t ask Moira for any sleep aids though, she had already made it clear she didn’t want any interference with the initial treatment. Even afterwards you’d probably be on a short leash until everything was finished. You couldn’t get up. And as much as you wanted to roll over and hide under your blanket you couldn’t do that either. Too hot. No sleep. You were just laying motionless in your bed, waiting.

The door knocking finally pulled you from your bed, forcing you to push yourself to your feet and  
march to the door. It slid open with a rush of maple smell, one arm holding out a bag full of plastic tupperware containers, the other arm slid reaching for you, and a warm pair of lips against yours. You returned the embrace, smiling as you kissed Reyes back. Even when you didn’t call him he was there when you needed him most. You wondered how fast he would have been at your side if you let him know that something was wrong. There was no need to tell him now, and you probably wouldn’t bother him unless you absolutely had to. But you still wondered.

“Good morning Reyes…” You murmured, “What brings you so early?”

“I decided I wanted you part of my morning. You alright? You look tired.” Reyes carried the bag past you, pulling paper plates out of the bag. You returned to the comfort of your bed while he fiddled.

“I was just sleeping in, but I’d wake up to you any day,” You yawned. You didn’t want to worry him, especially since he was worried enough without your help. 

“I’d like that.” Reyes smiled, reaching out to dot your nose with maple syrup.

“Well, that’s gross and you’re gross for doing it,” You groaned. You stole one of his napkins and poured water on it, scrubbing at your face. He waited until you were done to hand you a plate of pancakes before sitting next to you. He sighed, leaned his head on you, and was quiet for a while. You felt… peaceful. For a second you got a flash of a nice quiet kitchen table where the two of you could sit together, a quiet future with the two of you. It did come with the knowledge that he’d have to physically pry you out of bed and carry you to the table if he wanted you to get up when you didn’t have to but hey. That was kind of cute too. Even if the two of you were actively killing people during work hours. It just made the non-murder even more adorable.

Is this what you fought for? Quiet moments at ungodly times in the morning just sitting and enjoying your lover’s company? Is this what he fought for? 

“Why did you join Overwatch?” You asked softly, in between bites of the best pancakes you’d ever eaten.

Reyes chuckled, sitting up and cutting into his short stack. “Well… during the crisis, I had a team. A good team. It was just a necessary job at first but when everything was done I looked at them and thought… they could die. We had won a war and they could still be killed just for having the gall to be heroes. I had to protect them, my way. Overwatch agreed with me. Well, the people who decided I would run Blackwatch agreed with me. Supposedly.”

“Everyone’s guardian angel.” You smiled, “and I’m yours.”

“You don’t have to protect me matchstick, I’m more worried about something happening to you.” He frowned.

“Thus far I have a 100% survival rate when everything goes up in flames around me.” You kissed his cheek, “Wipe that sad face away. We’ll both be fine. You might catch on fire a few times, because I’m not the best aim, but I mean. You have medical insurance.”

His laugh eased the tension back out of the room. You were pretty sure you wouldn’t catch him on fire if the two of you were ever on the field together. Even if you got close he could probably get out of the way. Plus the work you and Moira were doing to improve your capabilities. Yeah, you would be able to keep him safe without putting him at risk. If he was so bent on protecting all of overwatch then, who better to have watching his back then someone like you.

You took the initiative to clean up, if only as a reason for you to force yourself to stand up. You would have to start training today, and call Winston, text Tracer, attempt to steal something from Genji, your normal schedule.

“Did you like breakfast?” Reyes reached for you, letting you pull him to his feet. You nodded, wiping some of the lingering sleep out of your eyes.

“It’s just what I needed. Now I can go get my ass handed to me by practice bots all day.” Turns out food and a little bit of sappy nonsense can do wonders for feeling tired. Who would have guessed it. Not that you were entirely excited to be getting back into the training room. The only solace was that you wouldn’t have to spend the entire day in there, just long enough until your body collapsed into a comfortable enough corner. And then, nap time. Sweet, sweet nap time.

“Or, you could join me in my office, help me with paperwork.” He kissed your cheek, “I promise I’ll only make a few puns. I’ll pepper them throughout the day. Just to spice things up.”

“You know what. Alright. Fine. You win. You’re the champion. But if you say a single sentence without a pun I’m walking out.” You tugged on some appropriate office clothes while masking your relief at the idea of not working out. You really didn’t have it in you. 

Sitting in his office was sort of boring though. You were only able to idle on your phone for a couple of minutes before you finally felt sleep take you. Something about this space, knowing he was close by, hearing the tap of his fingers on the keyboard… it was the perfect sleepy storm. A relief after the horrible night you had. Nights you’ve had. Maybe by the next treatment you would have a good reason or two to squirm your way into his bed at night. Fall asleep to the sound of his heartbeat. 

Wake up to the sound of McCree asking why you were sleeping in Reyes’ office.

God fucking damnit McCree.

Well. Those were good dreams while they lasted. Your body felt heavy as you pushed yourself into a sitting position. The blinds were closed… the place was cool… there was a blanket over you that you don’t remember even being in the office. You caught sight of the clock. 2 in the afternoon. How the hell did you sleep that long? You blearily glared at McCree, one hand seeking out anything worth throwing at him. 

“I was asleep you jackass.”

“I know.” He stepped away and plopped down in one of the chairs in front of Reyes’ desk. You rubbed the sleep out of your eyes. Damn, you felt like crap. Not just because it was your new normal, most of it was that weird too-long nap fog. Or dehydration. Or the too-long nap fog was and had always been dehydration and you just didn’t know the word for it. 

You stumbled slightly and grabbed the desk for stability when you stood up. Yeah. You really needed something to drink. Anything would do.

“Hey, you okay? I think Reyes would kill me if I didn’t give you a hand.” McCree’s leaned forward, offering a hand if you needed it. You shook your head and sighed.

“Ever accidentally take a really long nap and then you wake up and feel like shit?” You waited for him to nod before straightening your back and stretching your arms out, “I just knocked out for way too long. I’m not like. Sick or anything.”

“If you say so,” McCree leaned back in his chair, “I guess I wouldn’t expect Reyes to leave you alone if something was wrong.”

“I’d probably have woken up in medical if something was wrong.” You shrugged, trying to be as nonchalant as you could about taking a drink out of Reyes’ fridge. Unless he was bringing medical to you. Nah, you would have gotten a text from Moira telling you to come to her office. A few seconds into the bottle and you noticed you were feeling pretty good, aside from the after-nap goop. Cooler, comfortable. All you had needed was a good nap.

“Do you know where he is?” You could just text him. You could see where you dropped your phone on the floor. Should probably pick it up before it gets stepped on or kicked into the deep abyss beneath the sofa. Lost to all that knew it and all that would know it in the future. The shadows would consume the plastic and leave behind a whisper of what was.

“Yeah. He went to pick something up from Commander Morrison’s office. Told me to leave you alone if I was going to wait in here.” McCree said, chuckling at the end.

“Well you failed, I’m proud of you.” You flopped back down on the couch, snagging your phone off the ground and flipping through your missed messages. 

“Couldn’t help it. There’s not a lot of opportunities to mess with you, since you don’t spend too much time in blackwatch’s area anymore. Not that it’s a bad thing, I just don’t see ya.” He shrugged. You quietly tapped out replies on your phone, unsure of what to say. You weren’t really friends with McCree. That wasn’t entirely his fault. Some of it was, he hated Moira and she was your best friend. But, you could have maybe talked it out. Learned some anger control skills when you were learning your fire control skills. Or maybe you could also learn to control ice at the moment. Hook up with Moira, get all the elements going. Go full avatar and befriend your way through the short list of people you personally didn’t like. Find your inner peace and all that. Blah blah best self.

The silence was neither tense or comfortable. It was just empty air between two folk that might as well be strangers. You on your phone, him staring at the ceiling. Both of you just waiting on Reyes to come back. A situation you’d been in before and would be again, the only time the two of you ever came close to an understanding. Can’t burn a bridge if it’s made of cold stone after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who had this chapter 75% written and couldn't figure out how to take it for a god damn month. That's right. It's me. 
> 
> I apologize, thanks for all the encouragement you left me <3


	29. Reading Smoke

Different smoke colors mean different things. Mostly it was because the color of smoke reflected what was burning. White smoke was moisture, brown smoke was wood, black smoke was chemicals or compounds. It was a good way to get a read on how long a fire had been burning and how much destruction had been caused. Had it just gotten through the moisture in the air, the fabric, or was it all the way to the beams and support structure? Reading smoke gave a lot of information in a fire. 

Learning how to read smoke was an unintended skill you’d picked up on your missions. You’d been sent against a lot of Talon properties recently. Reyes and his friend LaCroix seemed to think they needed focus and action. So far a covert arsonist was the most action anyone was willing to take. There just wasn’t enough solid proof that Talon was causing trouble. LaCroix needed more and he would do anything to get it. It was admirable. Another soldier who would do anything to keep Overwatch safe.

You collapsed onto your bed. It had been mission after mission after mission lately. Luckily you’d adjusted to Moira’s treatments or this would destroy you. It had been too long since you’d been able to get a full night’s sleep, let alone sleep in your own bed. 

Your sheets sucked.

It was strange that it was bothering you. Maybe you were just too tired to fall asleep in anything less than absolute comfort. That last mission had been exhausting. Four buildings spread over 23 miles, in a heavy industrial area with no easy way of determining who was a civilian and who was Talon. You were lucky to have gotten out unnoticed. Lucky that those fires burned fast enough to send black smoke into the sky in minutes. Got so thick for a moment you lost track of the sun. You suppose that’s something to be proud about. Those were some of your strongest fires yet. But mostly you were just tired and wishing that your sheets weren’t so rough and hot and awful.

Alright. So no sleeping. You supposed you could go see Moira; if anyone was going to be eager to give you sleeping medications it would be her. But you didn’t want to deal with any treatment aftermath so that wouldn’t be a great option. Lena was back in London for a while so you couldn’t hassle her in her room. Winston was gone. Genji’s room was off limits without either of you having spoken about it. It just, was. 

There was always food. The cafeteria was more than happy to feed you a pile of ice cream in the middle of the night. You weren’t the only one there after all. The tables were speckled with a handful of various agents, all looking as haggard as you felt. Sleep came hard to all of you sometimes. You recognized a few faces. Reinhardt Wilhelm was one of those faces that everyone knew. The smaller man next to him had to be… Something with a T? He was an engineer, you knew that much. Dr. Ziegler looked asleep on her feet at the coffee machine. Both of you knew the other should be asleep but neither of you was going to say anything. This was just the way it was sometimes. There was comfort in knowing others were as worn out as you were.

That was just part of the job. These nights where you couldn’t sleep, where you were caught between thinking about your next job and wondering when your next day off was. Wondering how you would get the smell of ash out of your clothes. It wasn’t sad but it wasn’t… not sad. It was in this strange grey area, sitting alone at a table in a room full of people sitting alone at tables, eating ice cream while staring at the clock and wondering if your name was going to be called over the intercoms.

You wondered if Reyes was busy. If he was even awake.

You heard from him almost daily, saw him frequently, but it was generally all in the guise of briefings and orders issued mid-mission. It wasn’t that you weren’t happy to see him. It was just, your mind was too focused on the job at hand to think about feelings. And now that you had a moment to see him the time wasn’t right. Still, you weren’t doing anything and you had to do something. Even if it was just a waste of time it was better than more ice cream and waiting for the pin to drop.

It was so damn quiet. It felt like making any kind of noise would upset some delicate balance; one word and all the whole desperate structure would fall to the ground. Everything gone in an instant. Nothing left but rubble and a puff of breath in the cold, cold air. You shuddered and wished that you actually felt the cold to accompany it. The thought was upsetting. What would you even do if everything was gone? Find Reyes, probably? Then Genji… Of course Lena would make it out. Winston was miles away and perfectly safe, you would never have to worry about him. And if they were gone?

… You felt sick. Tired and sick.

“Oh, there you are Agent. I didn’t realize you were back from your mission.” Moira walked up from behind you. She looked bright eyed and bushy tailed, the only cheerful soul in the entire base. It was enough to lift your spirits some. If she was happy that meant that things were normal. Or at least, it meant that she was doing something that she considered fun and that was something to celebrate. Your friends being safe and happy… that was good. That was worth cheering up for.

“Hey Moira. You’re looking cheerful, research going well?” Even if it was research in the middle of the night. A light flashed in Moira’s eyes as she cast you a rare smile.

“Yes, actually. Some very interesting developments happened exactly as I hoped they would. The next phase of research may be a little costly but the data…” She took a slow breath, “The data should be very interesting.”

“Nice, go Moira!” You grinned, happy to hear she was having good results. Especially since so much of her time seemed to be taken up by your case. That was probably why she was up so late, it was the only time she could sit down and work on private projects without your genetics just sitting there staring her in the face. You really needed to find a way to show Moira your appreciation. Maybe you’d just give her a card that said ‘I’ll burn people for you’. Not that she didn’t know that, but who didn’t like a nice card with a cat on it. Maybe a bird.

“Thank you… You know, you’re becoming increasingly useful. Far beyond Reyes’ expectations, or even my own.” Moira reached out and squeezed your shoulder, a rarity given how she seemed to dislike being touchy feely. You were stunned into stillness while she slipped away. You weren’t sure if she was humming or not from behind you. That was strange. A little… good? You were useful, how great was that?

Right?

Moira’s good mood didn’t stick. The heaviness dropped back in, thick and suffocating all over again. Like the last bits of light were sucked out as she passed by. You almost wanted to follow her, help her with whatever she was working with just to get some relief for how exhausted you were. You could. If Reyes wasn’t there you would. If there wasn’t bad news you would. If there wasn’t a pile of data and pictures of a building somewhere in the middle of a crowded city full of people who wanted to tear the world apart you would. The temptation to just throw your hands up and give up and maybe take a nap or two. It would be worth it to get stabbed with a whole bunch of needles if she also put you to sleep beforehand. 

You weren’t even tired. You were… fuck. What were you.

You forced yourself down the halls to Reyes’ office with one thought on your mind. You had to see him. And unless he was busy you weren’t leaving until you at least were curled up on the couch with him. Enjoying that small taste of safety and security. A preview of that little house, or hell. Even just an apartment. Something with him and you and a bed. A blanket keeping the two of you close together because if either of you tried to move the blanket would tangle your limbs and drop you face first onto the ground. Or the coffee table, if there was one. That would be a fun choice. Please don’t be glass. Please be… wood or. Plastic? Composite of some kind? Any material would suck, really. So you would just have to sit there in each other’s arms. A pity.

You slumped against the cold wall outside of his office taking several minutes before you were able to knock on the door. “Hey… You in there?”

The door unlocked and slid open. That seemed like a yes to you. Reyes didn’t look any less exhausted than anyone else wandering the base at such a godforsaken hour. His smile was strained by the weariness in his eyes. You beelined for his arms, almost sitting on his desk as he held you. 

“Everything alright, hot thing?” Reyes murmured into your ear, looking over your shoulder to keep reading the reports on his screen. 

“Tired. You?” You closed your eyes. This was what you needed. You felt safe, comfortable. The hallways outside seemed hollow and cold but in here the warmth came gently back. You should be spending more time in here, with him. What was the point of all the training if you didn’t get to enjoy the life you had? It wasn’t easy or fancy but… it was more than you ever thought you’d have.

“Yeah. There was trouble in Rome.”

“What?”

“Our base there… someone planted a bomb. Lacroix almost didn’t make it.”

“Fuck.” Fuck. They were getting fucking confident enough to go directly after blackwatch. Stronger actions needed to be taken before it was too late. Morrison would have to move, or… Or Blackwatch would need to do something, questionable. You knew what you would bet on.

Reyes paused his work to press a few soft, slow kisses to the side of your face. Each one pushed some of the exhaustion out of you. You couldn’t sleep though. He needed you awake, active, ready to protect Overwatch. You took a slow breath and shifted to kiss him back. Lazy kisses laced with sleepiness and tasting of too much coffee and rising determination. Neither of you were alone.

“What do I need to do, Commander?”

“... Get some rest. We’ll both get some rest. I’ve got to figure out the best way to get any kind of an edge on Talon. Even slow them down. I’ll need you at your best.” He reached beyond you to turn off his computer, “I’ll hammer out the details tomorrow. I’ll probably need you to make a fire… a big one.”

“Well… if anyone’s got me burning up it’s you.” You took his hand, pulling him out of his office and back towards your room. He laughed. The best sound. You fell asleep easy with the still lingering ring of his chuckle in your head and his arms tight around you.


	30. Smoke and Mirrors

This man was flirting with you.

Green eyes, freckles that he thinks are covered with concealer but they’re not, a warm smile. He’s lounging against the bar. Seems relaxed. Body loose and fluid, one hand at his side and the other on the countertop. Dressed well enough, black slacks and a white shirt and a green jacket for a splash of daring color. He had a lot of attention on him and he put his attention on you. You, in a pair of jeans and a loose shirt, clearly with money but nothing substantial. You had a phone in one hand. A drink in the other. A pair of headphones only slightly tilted off your head so you could have hear what he was saying. You couldn’t. Didn’t care. He didn’t interest you beyond one simple fact.

This man was from Talon.

You had eyes on you the moment you landed in Monaco. Which meant that they were aware of you, aware of what you could do, and knew exactly why you were in town. You kept calm. It was obvious that you could encounter resistance this time. The amount of Talon properties you’d turned into ash was in the double digits. They were bound to start getting heated eventually.

These past few days had been dedicated to creating the illusion of a tourist. Every morning was spent with a bowl of expensive fruit next to you, an e-reader in one hand, and a cocktail in the other while you lounged by the pool. You varied between shopping and spa appointments, restaurants and plays. Each and every place you went had a small handful of eyes following you around. Talon was really pulling out all the stops to watch what you were getting up to. Or maybe they weren’t. Maybe this was a gentle courtesy. All the stops probably included a few bombs in your hotel room and poison in your food. A sniper situated on every single building neighboring your hotel within a three-mile radius. All the stops could just be a shot to your head. Which was far less pleasant than a man with green eyes and poorly covered freckles laughing at your horrible jokes. 

At least their spies were pleasant.

“Oh, it’s late. I’ve been having such a fun time here I forgot to eat,” You laughed, “This is what happens when you relax too much. I’m afraid I have to leave, it was nice meeting you.”

“Do you? There’s a great restaurant in this hotel, or if you’re in the mood for sushi there’s a place down the street a bit. I’d love to lead the way.” The man smiled sweetly. His outward appearance said that he was perfectly trustworthy, an average man on a night out. But appearances could be deceiving. Everyone could wear a lie if they were so inclined. 

You smiled and nodded, “I’d like the company, but maybe not sushi… Barbeque?”

“Oooh, there’s a place a little further that has the best brisket, if you don’t mind the walk.” He looked excited, even more so when you nodded again and motioned for him to lead the way. He was animated as he talked. Almost like he was genuinely excited to go to this place. But you could see the way the souvenir kiosk attendant just happened to reach for their phone while you passed. The way the couple waiting at the bus station watched you from the reflection in the mirror in their hands. The way his jacket bulged at the back where his pistol was.

And you smiled.

The inside of the restaurant was modest but it was the outside that drew the crowds. A massive grill where you could watch a chef pull off a particular hunk of meat just for you. The outside ‘wall’ of the garden area was a pile of hardwoods that were specially selected and carried to the smoker. The tables were heavy iron and leather seats, wooden tabletops feigning upscale and trendy. Your chalkboard menu leaned against the mason jar holding your cocktail. This place was dedicated to its aesthetic. No one knew about the propane used to power most of the grill. That the overwhelming smell was mostly carried by the massive smoker prepping the ‘true’ barbeque. 

It was something that should be common knowledge. Everyone knows that propane burns. Everyone knows to get out of the restaurant in a hurry when a fire breaks out on a grill that shouldn’t burn like that. Everyone knows to avoid the high flames that licked up to catch the strings of flags that served as decoration. Everyone knows to be still when someone has managed to pull the gun from its holster on their back. 

“How is Maximilien?” 

“Fuck you.”

You shrugged. It didn’t matter. Your mission was complete and he had been so kind as to walk you there. This restaurant was in a central location to several casinos, including Maximilien’s. The fire would spread fast. Even if the firefighters got there fast enough, you knew from experience they would have a hard time calming down fire that you were close enough to keep stirring up. You grabbed him by the back of the collar and slammed his head into the table before setting a second fire over him. Talon could lose one of their foot soldiers for what they did in Rome. You slipped, exaggerating coughing as two people reached out to catch you and wrap you in a blanket. Water was pushed into your hand and you were guiding towards the sidewalk and safety.

“Are you okay? Can you breathe? Do you have a place to go?” Questions came from every direction. You answered patiently. It was good to have a reason to be there so close, pushing the fire. The restaurant was almost collapsing by the time the fire department got there. Fire had jumped over trees and grass and was creeping up the neighboring buildings. Faster than it should be. The people helping you kept commenting on how fast it was moving, how terrible, how frightening. They moved on to help some of the others and gave you the opportunity to call a cab and get yourself taken back to safety. You made sure to cry on the way over just in case. You were so very frightened, after all.

You headed back to your hotel, collected your things, and calmly boarded the Blackwatch jet waiting for you at the airport. You watched the footage of Maxilimilien’s casino collapsing as you disappeared back towards base. He would rebuild it. Probably quite quick. But that wasn’t the point. This should distract Talon long enough for Reyes to complete whatever mission needed you to destroy a building so publicly. Not that anyone saw you. The cameras melted first.

Were they okay? Moira had been so confident that she’d come back, even with her general disdain for being in the field. You knew how McCree felt about her. If she needed help would he even bother? Reyes would but what if he was in trouble as well? There’d rarely been situations where you could lose a significant chunk of your life in a single nightmarish blow. Even if just one of them came back… Fuck, even if it was McCree that went down that would still be upsetting. He was one of you. Not a friend but a comrade. You didn’t want him to die, any more than you wanted any of them to die.

Part of you wanted to call Lena or Winston and ask for reassurance. But they couldn’t know that there was a Blackwatch operation going on. They didn’t even know exactly what you did. You couldn’t spill the beans and tell them that Reyes and the others were in the field. That would be a breach of your basic job description let alone the trust that people had put in you. 

You took a deep breath and buried your face in your hands. It would be fine. It would be okay. They were probably at base waiting for you to get home, getting as anxious as you were. Well, except for Moira. Moira was probably in her lab calm as ever, far more confident in your ability to return home safely than you were in hers. And that was it, wasn’t it? You just needed to be confident in their talents. They were the best of the best, Blackwatch’s elite agents and their commander. That’s right. They were already waiting for you. A shame that you had taken so long eating your dinner before setting everything on fire.

You dozed off for a brief moment, dreaming of the thick scent of burning meat and ash, waking with the slow realization that something was making noise at you. A lot of noise. Your phone. You almost jumped for it, though part of you knew if there was a problem you would’ve gotten a call, not texts. A lot of texts from the look of it. You had given Genji a panic attack. Good job.

“Are you alive.”  
“Smokes.”  
“Answer me.”  
“Are you alive.”  
“Are you in trouble?”  
“There was a fire but was it you?”  
“Were you taken?”  
“Where are you?”  
“Smokes!”  
“Don’t make me text Lena.”  
“Don’t make me call you.”  
“I can’t give away your position.”  
“Are you in trouble?”  
“Do you need me?”  
“Are you alive?”

You interrupted the steady blink of another message being typed. 

“I’m alive, got out clean.”

The blink stopped, then started again.

“Prove it.”  
“No Calls.”

You frowned. That was… That was alarming. He wanted no calls so… You set your phone to record, “Hey Genji? I’m fine? You just sent like 30 texts but I was asleep on the plane. What’s going on?”

Silence. A few minutes of the most uncomfortable silence. And then another text came in.

“Our target knew we were coming.”

Your blood ran cold. You were supposed to be a distraction, you were the distraction. Talon had dozens of people watching you, they were going to move in for the kill, they knew you were there. Their eyes were on you. How could they also be watching the other team? And... how did they know.

“They were watching me the whole time.”

“And you didn’t come back?!”

“I was the distraction! I thought I was- Genji, they knew I was coming. They knew you were coming…”

“Reyes killed him.”

“Was that… the point?”

“No.”

You leaned back in your chair with one hand over your mouth. Reyes went off plan. Reyes never went off plan- he lived for that shit. He had ideas for every situation, plans for every single thing that could go wrong and he communicated that shit to his team. There would have been files upon files, descriptions of escape routes, descriptions of safe houses, of cover, of improvised weapons… He went off plan. What the hell could their target have said or done to make him think he needed to throw it all out the window?

“Is everyone okay?” You asked.

“Yes. We made it out. Not clean. The world’s going to know.”

“Fuck.”

Alright. So the world was about to learn that Blackwatch existed. Not great. It pretty much fucked up every active operation the world had going. If someone was undercover they either just had their cover blown or they had their escape route destroyed. There was no getting out now. Any observation missions? Fucked. Everyone would know why they were there and they wouldn’t get a single thing. Informants would go running. There was nothing to keep them safe now that they didn’t have Blackwatch’s shadow to hide behind. And you… You were going to have a hell of a time. You weren’t the one that had your photos taken in the middle of a fight but… You were an arsonist. Working for Blackwatch. A shadowy, stealth-based espionage wing of Overwatch. You weren’t going to be able to go shopping for broccoli without a shit ton of clearance now.

Not that you bought groceries. But. You know. Maybe you would fuckin’ have to now.

The bright side of your friends and boyfriend being alive and well was dampened by the impending trouble they were facing when they got into headquarters. Was there anything you could do to help? No. Probably not. You were just stranded in headquarters waiting to see what would happen to your entire division. Well. At least you destroyed a major source of funding for Talon. That should buy all of you a little bit of time to let this blow over before you got back to work.

Ha… This was gonna suck.


	31. A Break

Things had been different since the Rialto incident.

Blackwatch was facing major suspensions. Anyone whose name or face got out as a result of the incident was pulled from active duty. Technically Blackwatch as a whole was suspended but, getting around technicalities was the entire point of your division. You were the only high ranking agent not directly involved so you were the only one that could be sent on ‘official’ business. Both Lacroix and Reyes had you crossing the globes with little rest between missions. There wasn’t time and there was too much at stake. It was… a lot. You hadn’t been back to base in six months, hadn’t seen Reyes face to face in that time either. Most of it was short phone calls. You were often in a ‘can’t risk being tracked’ situation and anything longer than a few seconds… It just couldn’t be done.

You would need a break soon. As much as you hated to say it, you were close to burning out. Asking for it would be impossible though. You would take one look at Reyes and be completely unable to say a damn thing. If anyone looked as tired as you felt it was him. He needed you. A little bit of wear was worth it.

Maybe you should pay Moira a visit. She would probably want to do a treatment session or some sort of diagnostics… but it might be worth it for whatever sort of boost she could work up for you. You could even get in some sleep while she was working, blame the downtime on getting a medical workover. Hell, if she wasn’t in her lab you could even go see Dr. Ziegler. An excuse was an excuse… the world could spare a few hours, couldn’t it?

You would just check in on Reyes first. Make sure that you did really have the time before you went down. Fuck, make sure you didn’t have a couple of days first. If you had the time you would just spend it in deep hibernation. Get in those sweet, sweet hours of slumber before you are forced to awaken and run off to Canada, or France, or New Zealand. A week would be too much to hope for, but you could certainly daydream about it. You got your yawns out before you walked through Reyes’ doors, putting on your best energetic smile as you did. He looked… bad. Maybe you could give him those imaginary days off that you were dreaming about.

“Hey, you got my report right?” You circled the desk, hugging him from behind and resting your chin on the top of his head. His workspace was covered in documents like it always was. This is how he’d go down. Gabriel Reyes: Drowned in a Sea of Paperwork.

“Yeah.” Reyes stopped working, lifting his hands to wrap them around yours. He kissed your hands with lingering slow kisses. His lips found their way over every surface of your skin with a small tilt of a smile on his face. The uncomfortable edge in the air slowly sunk away and you felt safe. You were tempted to just slump over him and fall asleep. Let him figure out how to work around your dead weight, you’d been doing enough figuring out of your own lately.

Reyes let you linger over him for a few minutes with only the sound of typing keeping you from actually falling asleep. Better than falling onto the floor and giving yourself the world’s silliest concussion though. You could pull off all the cushions on the couch and make yourself a temporary bed where you could possibly fall. Hm…

No. You should probably just go see your doctor before it got too late. Assuming that it wasn’t already too late. You pressed a final kiss to the top of Reyes’ head and stepped away from him.

“Get to sleep soon Reyes, you need some. I’m going to go get a checkup from Moira.”

“No!” Reyes practically threw himself from his chair to grab your hand. His eyes were wide, his grip tight. He closed his eyes and sighed. You gently raised a hand to his face and stroked his cheek with your thumb. 

“I just haven’t, seen you in forever.” He pulled you into a tight hug, “Can you stick around for tonight? I’ll get you in with Ziegler first thing in the morning, promise.”

“I get to delay medical care and cuddle? Do you even have to ask?” You joked softly. You were only going to sleep in there anyway. This was preferable if not concerning. Things must be weighing heavier than you thought they were. Reyes kissed you, fierce despite your mutual sleepiness. It woke you up a bit. You hadn’t gotten a good kiss in way too many months. God damn. Maybe you should start asking for rendezvous that were a little more exciting than meeting the blackwatch pilots in the middle of the night. Getting shot at was more rewarding when the end game was Reyes lips on yours, his hands sliding down your body to grip your hips, pulling you flush against him.

You panted as your kiss broke, leaning your forehead against him. “Let’s… Let’s go to my room yeah? I mean I’ve slept on your couch enough to know it’s pretty comfy but I think a bed is better.”

Also if someone walked in and disturbed things right now you would set them on fire and wouldn’t that be awkward.

“Alright. Let me just…” Reyes reluctantly released you, turning to briefly lock his computer and put away anything he couldn’t leave out. There was an anxiety that seeped from him even as he took your hand in his and started walking towards your room. You could understand. Every moment was a moment when either of you could be out working, keeping Overwatch safe. Keeping your friends safe. But you also needed these small moments together. Life was a tough balance.

You would just have to take solace in the feel of his hand in yours, walking so fast you’re nearly running through the halls. Dodging anyone else that’s wandering blackwatch’s halls so late at night. Collapsing into each other in a dash through the door with the softest laughter. 

Reyes pinned you against your desk as soon as the door was locked, lips slipping down your neck leaving imprints in their wake. Your hands slipped beneath his shirt and followed the paths woven between muscles and scars. Every single section a new story that you hadn’t heard yet. You wanted to pull him into your arms and ask him to tell you every single one. To spend the night not getting the rest you needed but instead just, being near him. Listening to him. Maybe telling him a few stories of your own, the ones that you kept buried deep in your heart, hidden behind laughter and jokes and the flickers of a warning flame.

Your clothes fell into a discarded heap near your desk, alternating between yours and his, a mess that would slow down your waking moments and keep him with you for a few more seconds. A few more seconds to remember the here and now. A few more seconds to remember the effortless way he lifted you towards the bed, the tenderness with which he kissed each part of you, the tone in his voice as he mumbled praises under his breath with your thighs draped over his shoulders.

Remember, Remember, Remember.

You would hold this close. Each second committed to memory so you could review it on some lonely flight to nowhere when it was just you and the colorless moonlight. When you were so weary you wanted to give up and just say fuck it. You would remember the way he kissed you. You would remember the feeling of his tongue teasing at the edges of your lips.

The laughter.

“Lookin’ hot.” You let one slip, just to watch the smile cross his face. He kissed you with delight and whispered in your ear.

“You’re the one causing sparks.”

“Only cause you’re heating me up.”

“You can’t use hot twice, chile pepper.” 

“You do all the fuckin’ time you god damned nerd-” You started to jokingly argue and he kissed you with mischief in his eyes and you on his mind, stealing your breath and whatever meaningless nonsense was about to come out with it.

Your bodies were tangled and close; his was drenched in sweat and yours was so hot you weren’t surprised when a pillow caught on fire. Reyes didn’t even take a second to slow down as he smothered it. He laughed and sunk his teeth into your neck and closed his eyes to the guttural moans that you hadn’t been able to keep quiet for the past fifteen minutes. He captured your hands in his and didn’t let go until both of you were collapsed into a panting heap. 

“I... “ Reyes gazed at you as you settled in to use him as a pillow. After all, you just set your last one on fire. He couldn’t walk away after that… neither of you could. Not without some rest. Maybe muscle cream. Ice. A doctor’s visit, shit that would be real fucking awkward. God, you would have to go to Ziegler you couldn’t look Moira in the eyes and tell her why your back was aching.

“Yeah?” You lazily activated climate control to drop the temperature further. Should have done that as soon as the clothes started coming off but hey. Now you knew for the next time.

“I can’t lose you.”

You looked up at him, not liking the worry in his eyes. He didn’t need to worry about you. Not in general but definitely not right now. There were a million other things to worry about. The rest of Blackwatch. The rest of Overwatch. The world. Talon was getting bigger and stronger than any of your projects said they would be and that needed to be the only focus. Little nights like these were good for keeping you both in one mental piece but, there was too much to deal with as it was. No need for your safety to be stressing him out. You reached a hand up to stroke his face.

“I’m as careful as I can be on the job. You don’t have to worry. If you want I can join the boys on desk duty. You know how much Morrison loves to read through my reports.” You smiled. Morrison fucking hated your reports. You couldn’t blame him, they sucked.

“That’s not…” His face scrunched and he sighed, kissing your forehead, “I’m going to do whatever I have to, in order to keep you safe. I promise.”

“Don’t go overboard that’s my job.”

“I’m being serious.”

You closed your eyes. “I know, Gabriel. It’ll be okay. We’ll be okay.”

“That was the first time you’ve used my name.”

“I wanted to make this weird.”

His laugh was the last thing you heard as you drifted off.


	32. Rescued Love

You didn’t enjoy using guns. It felt like you were using a cheat. You should be able to just reach out and snap your fingers and burn a man to fucking death. You could, sometimes, and even the times you failed you could still create a big enough fire to distract for a second attempt. If you didn’t get them by the third long-range attempt you were probably close enough to grab them and set the fires up close and personal. Close enough to take in the smell of their skin burning off their bones.

That was fucked up.

Regardless it wasn’t your choice to bring a gun, it was an order. Lacroix didn’t want you to risk destroying the building. Not when his wife was somewhere inside. It had been a few weeks since Talon had captured her. It took Lacroix’s agents far too long to find her and most of them were exhausted. He sent you in to lead the retrieval team. It wasn’t as good as having Genji or Reyes by your side. Fuck, you’d even settle for McCree but you had no idea where that asshole was. 

It didn’t help that you rarely worked in duos, forget a team, forget leading a team. You were winging it and it was by the pure favor of whatever fates looked after you that you were doing well. Or well enough to get into the building. It was messy and risky, sending you in with a group.

Whatever.

You had a fucking job to do. There was a chance Amelie Lacroix wasn’t on the other side. This could all be a huge waste of time. You could walk back to base with nothing to soothe Lacroix or Reyes. Or even worse, you were about to find her very dead. This tip was sudden, and soon, and there’d been no attacks on Lacroix while his wife was missing. No calls for ransom. Nothing. If they took her without using her as a distraction or as a bargaining chip… then they probably took her to hurt Lacroix. They probably killed her. You hoped not, but…

You tried to bite back your frustration as you fired another volley of shots into the guards sent to get between you and your target. The base took a while figuring out that you were there, long enough that you didn’t think they could get enough people together to respond quickly. Lacroix had been the most effective Talon leaders in prison and now all that was left was the assholes that would kidnap his wife in retaliation. They could plan that far but they couldn’t stop you from shooting more guards in the face.

You refused to deviate from your path even if you couldn’t burn your way through your opponents. Ana would be proud. All her hours of teaching you how to shoot was finally paying off whether you liked it or not. Your info said she had been moved from a less secure facility into this one, placed into one of several operation rooms. Which really made you feel hopeful about the whole situation.

You only slowed down once you were in the hall. It wouldn’t do to spook whoever was with her before you had the chance to put them down. Your team took up positions as you stepped from room to room, listening at the door until you heard what you were looking for. Orders to hurry up with the sedation. They needed to move.

You lead into the room with a few careful shots into the backs of men in lab coats and one knife plunged into the guard that was close to the inside of the door. You threw him down and fired again into his head just to make sure.

Amelie was on the table. She didn’t look bad, not that you were really acquainted with what she looked like before she got taken. You took a quick pulse check and almost dropped from relief. Alive. Alive and as far as you could tell uninjured. No bleeding, no cuts, not even any signs of any recent tended wounds. No stitches or bandages. Talon hadn’t had the time to do whatever it wanted to do. For once, Blackwatch out-maneuvered Talon. You carefully unstrapped her from the bed and motioned for one of your team to scoop her up. 

Your second took the lead and let you fall to the back. You weren’t going to leave this place in one piece after they tried this sort of shit. Taking a civilian. That was fucking despicable. Just kidnap an agent you lazy fucks.

A door opened behind you and you heard the sound of heavy footsteps stampeding into the hallway behind you. Good. You spun around and threw a wave of flame towards their hands. The first fires were to small to do anything more than stun them into dropping their weapons. But the first fires were coaxed and encouraged into growing larger, large enough to creep up their legs and into the cracks in their armor. Melting it. They screamed as you sealed the door behind you and drew fire along the walls as your group ran. 

“Make sure the target gets to the jet, do not let her get hurt!” You shouted into the comms. Your job was to get Amelie out. If some of you had to stay behind to bring this building down in order to protect her, then you would just have to find another way home. Reyes… Gabriel, wouldn’t be happy about it but you would make it home. Nothin’ to complain about if you made it home.

You were going to make it fucking home. You followed your instinct, your purpose, and made a god damn spectacle of yourself. Fire began to flow into the hall behind you, breaking through the doors around you. It stamped and spread away from you into a hoard of screaming soldiers who weren’t prepared for shit to get real weird. That was their own damn fault you expected it to be weird. But your best friends were a time traveler, a gorilla, and a cyborg so you know. Maybe you could be considered biased about the whole weird thing.

“We’re out! Arson, where are you?”

“I’m following, get to the jet!”

Your priority shifted from getting Amelie out to getting yourself out. You were responsible for one body and that was the way you liked it. You fired a few shots into the burning crowd of pursuers before sprinting down the hall and guiding the fire up towards the ceiling. Cheap paneling began to collapse and fall down as you disappeared through the exit door. That should keep them from interfering with the pick up while you were trying to load everyone onto the jet. Thankfully it was already there and waiting for your team. 

“You, let’s keep them covered!”

It surprised you how readily the other blackwatch agents obeyed your commands. There was no questioning or fussing. The woman turned and began firing on the smoldering figures stumbling out of the now harshly burning building. As much as you appreciated not having to argue your way into results, it wasn’t… great. You were responsible for her life. For all of their lives. That was fun. That was great. That wasn’t a fucking nightmare at all. Lacroix was going to have to fight you, you were never doing this again.

“Lacroix… We found her. She’s fine. Well, I mean. She’s probably going to need therapy but not like, physical therapy.”

“... Thank you, Agent Arson. I’ll see you at base.”

The base was a flurry of activity when you got there. A team of medics immediately surged into the jet to retrieve Amelie, carefully rushing her towards the medical wing for examinations. Lacroix was at her side, cradling her hand in his, a combination of worry and relief mixing into his features. She was alive and back with him but anything could have happened. She could be sick. She could be hurt. She could just… not wake up. It was all in Dr. Ziegler’s hands now. You yawned and leaned against the jet, rubbing at your eyes. You deserved a nap.

Maybe Reyes could spare a half hour to hold you while you fell asleep. Or even better, he could take the nap with you. He was certainly a sight for sore eyes as he rushed into the hangar. Reyes checked with Lacroix on his way to you, throwing a bright smile your way. You smiled back feeling a trace of energy return to your veins. Oh he was gonna take a nap with you. You weren’t sure how you were gonna do it but you’d be damned if you didn’t get your goal. Reyes slowed as Moira appeared at your side, her gaze following Amelie and Lacroix as they left.

“So wonderful to have Mrs. Lacroix back again.” Moira remarked.

“Yeah. I would like to never lead a mission again,” You smiled at Reyes, “Still, I’m glad we were able to save her.”

“I can’t imagine what Mr. Lacroix was going through with her gone. It’s a lot of risk doing what we do, but sometimes we get caught up in the danger to ourselves. We just don’t think about the threats to our loved ones.” Moira placed a hand on your shoulder. Her best attempt at comforting you, though you didn’t need it. Still, you would accept any attempt on her behalf. She wasn’t the best at expressing any emotion besides science-based excitement.

“Yeah. At least I get the benefit of knowing all of my loved ones are more capable than I am. You can all keep yourselves alive well enough. Probably better when I’m working alone, less risk of burn injury.” Although you got a team out without so much as singing the air on their arms so, hey. Improvements.

“It just reminds me of how much there is to lose.” Moira smiled, “ If you aren’t too tired I would like to begin an accelerated enhancement today. Increasing your powers is a priority of mine, especially now.”

“Accelerated Enhancement?” Reyes looked… off. All of this was fraying him at the edges. You stepped away from Moira to hug him, holding him close to you. You would have to lead more group missions. It sucked but if that could help take some stress from him then you would gladly do it.

“Just something to refine the flames. The last enhancement was a lot slower and interrupted far too often. I just need to make sure that there’s-” Moira paused, “control.”

Reyes tightened his grip for just a second before releasing his breath and his hold on you. “That’s… great. I’m glad you’ve been working on this, but I need Arson elsewhere at the moment. I’ll check my missions list and let you know free spots, Moira.”

You shrugged apologetically, “I’ll text you when I’m coming in Moira.”

Moira just smiled and slowly walked away. She didn’t seem too entirely upset by her projects being delayed. She must have a better idea of what the timeline looked like than you did. You never really asked what was coming next or what information had just come in. You really just waited to be told what to do. Ugh, you were going to have to start asking more if you were leading teams. Fuck that sucked.

You waited until you and Reyes walked into a quiet, empty area of the halls before stopping him for a kiss.

“Hey… Are you okay? The mission was perfect, no one died, there were few injuries, Lacroix was fine. Things are better, okay?” You stroked his face, taking in the sudden sadness in his eyes. He was so tired. So weighed down by everything. He covered your hand in his, holding your palm to his face. All you could do was gently kiss over every inch of his face until he met your lips with his.

“I’m, I’ll be okay. It’s going to be okay. I just… I’m going to have to make some tough calls and it’s not going to feel great… But I have to.” He took your hand to kiss your palm, “I have to.”


	33. Ashes to Ashes

It felt strange to be on a simple burn and walk mission again. Everything had gotten so complicated, so much. Just being sent to burn a warehouse to the ground felt like a vacation. Or a reward. You would have rather spent it back at base. Maybe some time to go visit Winston or Lena. Not that you would ever complain about it. Orders were orders and you got the job done. At least you got to take a damn good nap in the closest safehouse while you waited for pick up. There weren’t many decorations or anything interesting but damn if the beds in Blackwatch safe houses are fucking comfortable. So plush.

You wanted to spend the night. Maybe settle into the tub and let the heat pull some of the fatigue out of your bones. Why couldn’t you just do that yourself? Someday. Your powers had to have some day to day utility besides marshmallow roasting. You needed to get back to base to start Moira’s second enhancement trials. She wasn’t happy when you were immediately sent back to work following the rescue. Maybe you’d pull out your vacation days for her. Either way. It was time to get back to base. You forced yourself to the cupboard secretly holding the comms devices, tapping on the screen to alert a pickup jet to your location.

The screen flashed. “ACCESS DENIED.”

Ugh, fucked up your code again. You rubbed the sleep out of your eyes and took your time putting in your code.

The screen flashed again. “ACCESS DENIED.”

That woke you up a little more. You kept putting in your code and each time the screen flashed the same message. You attempted to enter the messaging app through the computer and got the same message. You were blocked? It could be a glitch, but the system could have also been hacked. You tried to ignore the mounting anxiety crawling up your spine with jagged steps. You grabbed your phone and dialed Reyes. He needed to know if something was wrong… and also he needed to send someone to come get you. You wanted to go home.

“Hey, Reyes? I’m having issues getting into the comms system to request pick up.”

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line. You heard a slow breath before he began speaking.

“I’m sorry, there should have been paperwork waiting for you. On the table.”

“I just went straight to bed. What’s wrong, is there a glitch?” You turned towards the little two-chair table, noting a folder that you’d overlooked when you got there.

“No.”

Your hand hovered over the folder, the cold running into your chest. You didn’t want to open this. You didn’t… You tried to calm yourself down. You were just jumping to conclusions. You did that all the time and eventually, you would need to learn how to just. Let the information come in. But you didn’t want to. You wish you hadn’t. You looked down at a folder full of discharge papers and tried to fight back the bile pushing up your throat.

“Reyes? What is this?”

“I… I’m sorry. There’s money in the closet, and a bank account attached to your name. Enough to buy a house somewhere if you wanted to. Not… Not within Europe though…”

Your chest felt tight. The cold was spreading, trickling down your limbs. 

“I don’t understand. I haven’t, Did I get caught in Monaco? Why… Why not just a suspension Reyes-”

“This was just…” He sighed on the other side of the line. “Talon planted a mole.”

It made sense. That’s how they knew about so many Blackwatch operations. Monaco, Rialto, the location of Amelie Lacroix. They knew too much too fast and…

“You think it’s me.”

Silence. Fucking silence. You gripped the back of the nearest chair as your legs started to slip out from under you. He didn’t say anything and that was saying everything. You felt cold everywhere, down to your fingertips. There was a numbness spreading, wrapping itself around you, strangling you. 

“I don’t understand. I didn’t have, I didn’t have information that Talon had; it’s not me. Reyes I would never do that to you, Overwatch is literally all I have. I talk to five people and they all work for fucking Overwatch.”

“You’ve…” Reyes took a breath, “You’ve had a lot of lucky calls…”

“Yeah I’ve almost died a whole bunch, I don’t understand why you think I betrayed the only life I’ve ever had! I have no one Reyes, no home, no family, my only friends are in Overwatch. It’s not me. Please don’t do this. Come get me. Send someone to get me.”

“If we bring you in, you’ll go to trial. That’s prison time that I can’t get off your record, and if they find you guilty-”

“I’m not!”

“If they find you guilty you’ll die. This way…” He paused, “There’s a bank account. The information is with the money in the closet. There’s a passport. Paperwork.”

“That warehouse was ours wasn’t it. You sent me out to the middle of nowhere to abandon me here.” Your face was wet. Your body was numb but you could still tell that your face was wet. Your voice was weak and wobbling and your breath was fleeing your body faster than you could pull it in. Were you shaking? You couldn’t tell. Your head was swimming and he wasn’t answering you.

“Gabriel please.”

There was no answer. You were on the floor and you couldn’t quite remember how. Your eyes ached, your throat hurt. Your head was pounding and screaming at you to turn off the lights and hide in the dark. You felt weak. You felt heavy, like you were finally aware of what your body felt like. You pushed yourself to your knees, struggling with the shakiness in your arms. You couldn’t move from there. You were stunned into a stillness and trapped while the fear gnawed on your bones.

Your phone wasn’t too far away. Did he say goodbye? Did he hear you fall and send someone to help you? Or did he just hang up and leave you there like he intended to. You forced yourself to reach for your phone, scraping it across the floor and opening it. It was empty. No contacts. No call history. Nothing.

You were alone.

The tears started again and this time you were aware of it. Of the horrible hysterical mess you had become in the middle of this house that was no doubt wiped from Blackwatch’s records. No one would find you even if they wanted to. No one was coming. You were alone again. Your life of living on the streets was suddenly back in front of you, laughing at you, as though you ever had the chance of leaving it behind for good. There would be no friends, no family, no lover. Not that you ever had a lover, you guess. He wouldn’t have done this if he really… if he really… A stray flame started to lick at the bottom of the table. 

You didn’t know anyone’s number… Except. Except there was one number you knew by heart. Your phone still had service, thankfully. The phone rang and rang, and for one horrible moment you feared that you had been well and truly cut out of the lives of everyone that mattered.

“When will you be back, I’ve got your next application ready. We can’t keep delaying this.”

You dropped back down to the floor with relief. She answered. Moira answered.

“Reyes thinks I’m a Talon mole. He discharged me Moira. Left me in the middle of fucking nowhere. I can’t get into Europe I… He thinks it was me.” You sobbed into the line, your voice a mess of grief and spit. You weren’t even holding the phone to your face. There was silence and then a heavy sigh.

“Well. He is a fool,” Moira remarked, “Did he leave you with any means of travel?”

“There’s money in the closet. A bank account too, apparently.” You choked a little on your own spit. You needed to collect yourself, at least long enough to get yourself somewhere safe. If they really thought you were the mole then you couldn’t just stick around in this safe house. Discharge or not you’d need to move. You probably couldn’t trust that account either… You’d have to though… what else could you do?

“Good. You know this is a good thing. An opportunity for you to move past your greatest weakness.”

“What do you mean.”

“Morals,” Moira chuckled, “You have power, real power. And you are getting stronger. But you’ve been struggling to contain yourself, to be what Overwatch wanted you to be. They were holding you back, holding us both back. You could be so much more. Why force yourself to be a hero when the heroes don’t want you?”

You didn’t answer her. That wasn’t why you fought, you didn’t care if people thought you were a hero. You just wanted to protect your friends. You just wanted to protect Overwatch.

But Overwatch didn’t want you. Overwatch didn’t trust you. Overwatch didn’t believe you.

Reyes didn’t believe you.

“If you’re interested, I think I might know of an opportunity where you could truly grow without restraint.” Moira waited for you to answer. You wanted to go back to headquarters. You wanted to bang on the gates and scream for Reyes to come and say he wanted you gone to your face. But he’d already made that clear, didn’t he. You slowly returned to your feet. There was a bag of cash in the closet, with a small wallet of credit cards and an id with your face on it. You took a slow breath.

“I trust you, Moira. Where am I going?”

“Have you heard of the city called Oasis?” 

You shook your head and then caught yourself. She couldn’t see you. 

“No. But I’ll go.”

“Good, good. Call me when you get there. On a new phone preferably. Get rid of this one.” Moira hung up promptly. Never one to fuss around, even with something like this. You appreciated that. She wasn’t going to treat this like it was something different. She was in Blackwatch and you weren’t but you were still her friend. Still her patient. A small fragment of stability to cling to.

You paused in the doorway, looking back at the table with your discharge paperwork on it. Anger flickered in your heart and the small fire eating at the table surged. It quickly overtook the paperwork and began to leap across the furniture. You walked away one step at a time, pushing the fire higher with every single step. By the time the house was out of view it was nothing more than a pile of ash. But you were still fucking furious.

Moira was right. If the heroes didn’t want you then fine. Fuck them. You were probably heading straight for a mercenary job and hey, that was a life. A lifeline. She was the one real friend you had this entire time. The one who saw a flaming, smoldering monster and just saw potential. A rough beginning that she could tend to and care for until you grew into something awe-stricking and terrible. You took a deep breath and kept yourself from starting any more fires. There would be time enough to make the world fucking burn. After all, you had been held back. You still had to grow.

Being arrested for arson wasn’t fun. Luckily for you, Arson was left behind in those ashes. There’s just you-

And fire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Doing this for Nano because I'd rather do this than my actual project. : ) I hope y'all enjoyed Part 1 of From the Ashes. Part 2, And Get Burned, will be out shortly.
> 
> If you've been waiting for Sands of Time, the rewrite is going along well.


End file.
